Set Me Up
by Brine224
Summary: JI reexperience pregnancy and parenthood some SV as well just for good measure
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own anything ALIAS; that privilege belongs to J.J. Abrams whom I hope does not abuse such a wonderful opportunity.  
  
A/N: I'm basically cutting out the last three to four minutes of 'The Telling' just because I can. I have been threatening to write this for a while so here it is. Just assume the story picks up after Sydney passes out in her bedroom. Some songs will be incorporated into the story because in many cases they were my inspiration. ENJOY!!!!!  
  
SYDNEY'S HOME - LOS ANGELES  
  
Vaughn had turned around after dropping Sydney off, when he realized she had left her wallet in the car. He knew he could have given it to her while picking her up for Santa Barbra but the chance to see her before that was too tempting.  
  
Every light in the complex was on, giving Vaughn an eerie feeling when getting out of the car. The feel of his gun holstered at his hip reassured him momentarily yet it did nothing to calm his nerves. A neighbor of Sydney's opened his door to the sound of Vaughn's footsteps.  
  
"I thought you were the police." He commented.  
  
"Did you call the police for help?" Vaughn tried to look past the man, into his apartment to determine if anyone needed assistance.  
  
"There was a commotion down the hall so I called the police. They should be here any minute now but I would be careful." The man indicated Sydney's door with his chin.  
  
Vaughn felt his blood run cold and his body still uncomfortably. "Stay inside your apartment until the police arrive." He told the man then withdrew his gun and held it carefully at his side.  
  
"Is that thing registered?" The man was beginning to irritate Vaughn causing him to ignore his last question.  
  
Vaughn placed his hand on the door handle and turned it gently. The door yielded to his actions and opened easily. Despite being completely quiet, the apartment was a mess. Vaughn walked slowly to avoid injuring himself. He picked his way to the bathroom where the door's hinges were no longer existent.  
  
The body in the tub made his heart jump into his throat. Vaughn immediately recognized Will and moved to his side to check for a pulse. The blood saturated by his cloths must have looked worse than it was because Vaughn felt a subtle thumping against his fingers at Will's neck. Relief washed over him and he quickly grabbed towels from the cupboards and tied them around Will's waist to slow the bleeding. With a few more blankets Vaughn covered Will to ward off shock induced chills.  
  
Once Will was taken care of, Vaughn allowed himself to ponder the fate of the others in the home. His eagerness to get to Sydney was tempered only by the sight of both their friend's near death state. Vaughn followed the trail of destruction to Sydney's bedroom and found a nightmare.  
  
Laying closest to him was Francie's prone and bullet ridden form. From the angle of her neck and lack of movement Vaughn quickly surmised she was dead. However, directly in front of him was the object of his greatest concern.  
  
Feeling as though he was walking through water, Vaughn made it to where Sydney sat half propped up, against the wall. The gun that had likely killed Francie was still grasped in her hand but her eyes remained closed. With shaking hands Vaughn checked for a pulse and with much relief found one that was slightly thready but otherwise solid.  
  
Vaughn let out a load sigh then took in another sharp breath. "Syd." He called to her as he held her face. "Syd, come on, open your eyes." Her head lolled to the side and into Vaughn's hand. Sydney struggled to open her eyes and held the gun a little more tightly.  
  
"Syd!" Vaughn said with a smile when her unfocused eyes finally met his fearful ones.  
  
"Vaughn." She whispered. "Francie not her. Allison." Vaughn looked confused at Sydney's ramblings but his 'What' was met with the entrance of the LAPD.  
  
"My cell phone." Sydney said before she lost consciousness again.  
  
"Hands in the air." Was called from behind Vaughn. With reluctance, Vaughn moved away from Sydney and raised his hands.  
  
He was surprised the CIA had not intercepted the police call when Sydney's residence had appeared on the scanner; however, he was not given time to ponder as the police advanced on him.  
  
"Drop your weapon." The same cop stated.  
  
Vaughn looked down and saw that he still held his gun at his side. "Listen, I'm going to put down my weapon but you have to listen to me. I work for the State Department and two of the three victims are my colleagues. I just arrived here and was told by a neighbor that you had been called. They need medical assistance immediately." Vaughn placed his weapon on the ground and was instantly assaulted by two cops who patted him down. They removed his identification which had his security clearance for the State Department as cover for the CIA.  
  
"He's for real." The man holding his ID said.  
  
Following that announcement another group entered the apartment barking orders. "We've got this. You can go." Paramedics rushed to Sydney and strapped her to a gurney.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" One of the police men asked.  
  
"FBI. This is a state sensitive issue; it falls under our jurisdiction." The LAPD tried to put a fuss but were shooed out of the apartment and away from the building. "Agent Vaughn?" The new arrival asked.  
  
"Yes. Are you Agency issue?" Vaughn asked.  
  
"We are. What happened here?" The man asked.  
  
"I'm not certain. I came in only minutes before you. But by the damage and its path I would guess that Sydney was fighting with someone. She said something about her cell phone." Vaughn scanned the floor looking for the device and found it by the far side of the bed. He hit the talk button and found a saved message from Will.  
  
After listening to the message, Vaughn turned back to the man looking stunned. "The deceased woman and Sydney fought; Sydney shot her. The woman is likely responsible for the Will's injuries." Vaughn moved to Sydney's side as the medics assessed her condition.  
  
"Will is the stabbing victim?" Vaughn nodded in agreement and looked to the medics for answers.  
  
"Extreme exhaustion, dehydration, minor blood loss, shock and a concussion. You said she was conscious not too long ago which is a good sign. We're taking both of the injured now." Vaughn began to follow them out.  
  
"Take the body to the CIA and ear mark it for exploratory toxicology and pathology and call Jack Bristow at the Joint Task Force and let him know where we'll be." Vaughn ordered before leaving the apartment altogether.  
  
ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA  
  
Irina watched the subtle movements dance across the grainy black and white screen before her. With tears in her eyes she brushed the glass with her fingers before shutting the picture off.  
  
She leaned back and was unable to close her eyes before one tear escaped. No attempt was made to wipe it away. Irina was determined to wear the tear in hopes of finding forgiveness for her poor decisions and short-comings. She had another obstacle to overcome in the battle that was her life and this time she was going to come out on the right side, if only her plan would work...  
  
Please Review (-: 


	2. Shock Me

Same Disclaimers Apply. A/N: I promise I would never do this but the songs really are the inspiration for the story. I know I have a tendency not to read the song lyrics in the story but they do play a pretty major role in his one as the story progresses. Song Disclaimer - 'Sympathy' belongs to the Goo Goo Dolls and is a great song. ENJOY!!!!!!!!  
  
HOSPITAL  
  
Vaughn paced the halls of the hospital, waiting for word on Sydney and Will. The latter had been taken directly to surgery while Sydney had been given a CT scan and being closely monitored.  
  
Catching sight of Jack walking briskly down the corridor, looking for his daughter, Vaughn called to him.  
  
"Jack."  
  
"Agent Vaughn, what happened?" Jack looked less then stellar in Vaughn's opinion. He was still recovering from his torture sessions with Sloane and should have been in a hospital himself.  
  
"Francie was the second double." Jack's face showed surprise but he didn't interrupt. "It seems Will figured it out and got a knife in the stomach for his troubles. When I dropped Sydney off, she received a message from Will and as far as we can tell, a fight ensued. Francie or Allison is dead and Sydney is being check due to her head injury."  
  
Jack nodded along to Vaughn's story then with a furrowed brow asked, "And Mr. Tippin?"  
  
"Will is in surgery but the doctors believe his prognoses looks good." Vaughn answered.  
  
Before further conversation could take place, Sydney's doctor approached. "Ms. Bristow looks good. She has a minor concussion but nothing to be overly worried about. The swelling is quite minimal and I would like to release her tonight, if there is someone to stay with her. Basic concussed victim rules apply: keep her awake for the first six hours then wake her every two hours to reduce risk of uncontrollable swelling."  
  
Vaughn nodded his head in understanding but Jack was the one to answer. "She will have someone with her." After that the doctor was met with a stony silence.  
  
"Well, I'll just go draw up her release forms so you can be on your way." The doctor began walking away.  
  
"Excuse me." Vaughn called after him. "Another man came in with us, Will Tippin; he was taken to surgery. Would you happen to know his status?"  
  
"I'll check for you." The man smiled at Vaughn then glanced hesitantly at Jack before walking away.  
  
Moving briskly, Jack had already begun walking to Sydney's room. Vaughn had to hurry to catch up with the older man. Sydney was sitting up in bed when the two men entered the room. She smiled sadly at them before dropping a façade altogether.  
  
"Sydney, Agent Vaughn told me what happened." Jack spoke first.  
  
"I'm fine Dad. A little shocked but otherwise okay." Her hand reached for his.  
  
"The doctor said you are able to leave tonight." Vaughn chimed in. "But you need someone to stay with you." Vaughn felt uncomfortable inviting her to stay with him while Jack was in the room. He hoped Sydney would understand that an invitation was implied.  
  
"You're welcome to stay with me Sydney." Jack looked uneasy.  
  
"Dad, you're recovering as well. I don't want to be a burden; I'll stay with Vaughn." Sydney stared at her father, challenging him to question her decision. Instead, Jack turned to Vaughn with understanding and acceptance. He recognized Sydney was no longer six years old and the man before him was a large part of her life.  
  
"I suppose some rest would expedite my own recovery. Mr. Vaughn, I expect you to take good care of my daughter, she is the only child I've got." Jack continued to bore holes in Vaughn, however his tone turned significantly lighter. "Good night Sydney. Mr. Vaughn." Jack addressed them both before exiting.  
  
"I'm assuming your doctor told you Will was taken to surgery. I doubted you would be as calm when we entered." Vaughn sat on the bed and took her hands.  
  
"They gave me something mild for the pain; I think it kinda calms you down as well. Have you heard anything about Will?" Before Vaughn could answer her question the doctor appeared.  
  
"Mr. Tippin has just been moved to recovery and appears to be doing well. He will likely not awaken until tomorrow morning, if you would like to return to see him." The doctor told Sydney and handed her the release forms to sign.  
  
"Is that your subtle way of saying you don't want us roaming the halls this evening?" Vaughn smiled at the doctor and glance at Sydney.  
  
"It's important that you get some rest whether you sleep or not, Ms. Bristow. Staying here is not going to provide you with such and I promise that your friend will not miss you while you are at home." The doctor smiled back at Vaughn and Sydney.  
  
"Thank you." Sydney handed the forms back to him and smiled.  
  
"Remember to have a follow up in a week and if the pain doesn't subside to come back in." With that he was gone.  
  
"Come on, let's get you home." Vaughn got up off the bed and help Sydney raise to leave.  
  
JACK BRISTOW'S HOME  
  
Jack arrived home more tired and weary than he had in a while. Sydney had been attack at home both literally and figuratively and it didn't sit well with him. He was unable to determine what Sloane was truly hoping to garner from the situation and more importantly, had Irina know? Her role in Sloane's scheme became more obscure with every revelation. She had helped Sydney find him just days ago, yet more of her network had been activated in the last forty-eight hours.  
  
Panama had been difficult for Jack to come to terms with. He had held out hope that the implantation of the passive transport would be unnecessary but in the end Irina had proven her true colors. He still wasn't able to understand why she slept with him in Panama.  
  
Having already removed the transmitting device, seducing him seemed redundant, but then much of the night had been confusing. Irina made sure Jack had his eyes open the entire time they move together. She stared wide eyed and openly into his face almost begging him to understand something intangible.  
  
Before Irina had fallen asleep she had cuddled close to Jack and asked him about San Francisco. They had spent a week at an inn in the city after Jack had proposed. It was all very sweet and had almost been Jack's undoing. He had struggled with himself on whether to plant the device or not, but eventually his head out voted his heart.  
  
Jack realized that while he recounted his memories, he had been standing in the middle of his front foyer, unmoving. He picked up his feet and strode into the living room. Jack stopped short when he caught sight of a foreign object sitting on his coffee table. He looked around quickly but found himself alone.  
  
The package consisted of a folded piece of paper and a CD. The note had been written in calligraphy and showed an obvious amount of time had gone into its preparation. Jack was tense, knowing someone had been in his house but it did not stop him from picking up the CD and note which read:  
  
Jack,  
  
Our lives have brought us together and taken us apart. While San Francisco marked an occasion as one, I write this alone. Know that these words are only the beginning and that I have much more to share with you.  
  
I.  
  
A curiosity bore of being a spy pushed Jack to place the CD into the stereo and press play. Thoughts of the CD being a trigger for another device played across his mind but were dismissed in favor of investigation methods. The song that began to play made all thought drift from Jack's mind, to be replaced with an encapsulated feeling.  
  
Stranger than your sympathy  
  
This is my apology  
  
I'm killing my self from the inside out  
  
And all my fears have pushed you out  
  
I wish for things that I don't need  
  
All I wanted  
  
And what I chase won't set me free  
  
All I wanted  
  
And I get scared but I'm not crawling on my knees  
  
Oh yeah, everything's all wrong yeah  
  
Everything's all wrong yeah  
  
Where the hell did I think I was  
  
Stranger than your sympathy  
  
I take these things so I don't feel  
  
I'm killing myself from the inside out  
  
Now my head's been filled with doubt  
  
It's hard to lead the life you choose  
  
All I wanted  
  
When all your lucks run out on you  
  
All I wanted  
  
You can't see when all your dreams are coming true  
  
Oh yeah, It's easy to forget yeah  
  
You choke on the regrets yeah  
  
Who the hell did I think I was  
  
Stranger than your sympathy  
  
All these thoughts you stole from me  
  
I'm not sure where I belong  
  
Nowhere's home and I'm all wrong  
  
And I wasn't all the things I try to make believe I was  
  
And I wouldn't kneel before the dreams I wanted  
  
All the talk and all the lies  
  
Were all the empty things disguised as me  
  
Yeah stranger than your sympathy  
  
Stranger than your sympathy.  
  
Jack was unable to move from his spot by the stereo when the song ended. The words were very specific and obviously chosen carefully but he didn't know what they meant. He shut the power off on the machine and wondered toward his room more confused than before.  
  
ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA  
  
Irina paced the expanse of her room, wondering whether Jack had received the package yet. She had debated whether to leave it at all but when she had learned that Sydney had been taken to the hospital she contacted a friend and had them drop the 'gift off in Jack's home.  
  
It was a small step in the direction she was hoping to go, but a step none the less. Irina knew that she was working within tight time constraints and it was imperative that she get through to Jack before her time was up...  
  
Please Review (-: 


	3. Shake Me

Same Disclaimers Apply. A/N: Thanks for the review and please send more. As I've said before I am an addict. I'll tell you this right now, the next two chapters get VERY interesting. Hope you like this one though.  
  
VAUGHN'S APARTMENT  
  
Carrying a mug of tea, Vaughn entered his living room to find Sydney curled up on one end of the sofa.  
  
"So, how are you really feeling?" Vaughn passed her the mug before sitting.  
  
"Overwhelmed, confused and about five-hundred other things." Taking a small sip of teas, she continued. "I'm worried about Will and my father and I still haven't come to terms with Francie really being Allison." She sighs with exhaustion.  
  
"Syd, it's likely that Francie is-" Vaughn creased his forehead in apology.  
  
"Dead." Sydney cut him off. "I know Vaughn. I haven't come to terms with that either. I just-" She pauses. "I just want to forget about everything tonight." Leaning her head back against the couch, see closes her eyes.  
  
"You've got to stay awake for a while longer, so why don't I put a movie on. We can relax and not think." Vaughn smiles warmly and strokes Sydney's cheek.  
  
"Sounds wonderful." She moves to kiss him lightly. "I'm going to have a shower first. You find a movie and get us something to eat." Sydney smiled and left the room.  
  
Bogotá, Colombia  
  
Sloane reclined on a deck chair in front of a crystal blue pool. Birds chirped in the surrounding trees as the mid day sun beat harshly against the water and reflected against his sunglasses much as his mind reflected over the events of the past months.  
  
He was startled to realize that events after Emily's death were a blur of guilt and fury. Losing sight of his patience and ingenuity had caused too many mistakes on Sloane's part. The Rambaldi machine was of no value with out the manuscripts that's disappearance coincided with Irina's.  
  
The deceitful seductress had stuck again, leaving him bitter and eager for revenge. But Sloane decided retribution would have to wait in favor of completing his journey and unmasking Rambaldi's prophecies.  
  
Sloane laughed aloud at the common bond he now shared with Jack Bristow. They had both been deceived by the same vindictive woman. However, his plight was less dramatic than Jack's had been; Jack had trusted Irina to never betray him years before while Sloane had merely trusted Irina to use good sense and not endanger her life by crossing him.  
  
"Mr. Sloane, you asked to speak to me." Sloane glanced unimpressed at the middle aged man before him.  
  
"Yes, I would like a status report on our Los Angeles prospects." Sloane took a slow drink from his Vodka Tonic.  
  
"Mr. Bristow appears to be recovering quite well from our recent encounter with him. The younger Bristow had a run in with the double and ended up in the hospital with minor injuries. She was released into the care of Michael Vaughn and has not returned home since." The man stared intently at his boss.  
  
"And the lovely Allison, what has become of her? Or more accurately her body?" Sloane seemed pleased that he deduced the killing of one of his operatives on his own.  
  
The employee faltered at Sloane's obvious satisfaction but regained his footing quickly. "The CIA cleaned up the scene and took the body with them. Where it went from there is anyone's guess."  
  
Sloane's eyes narrowed at the man. "I suppose it is a good thing I don't pay you to guess." His posture retained its relaxed demeanor.  
  
"Yes Mr. Sloane." He paused. "Was there anything else you wished to speak to me about?" He tried not to fidget in his heavy suit under the heavy rays of sun.  
  
"Keep me apprised of Irina Derevko's operations. If she reveals herself, I want to be informed right away." Sloane took another sip of his drink. "That will be all." The still of the trees and water returned with the man's exit, leaving Sloane with a self-serving smile.  
  
HOSPITAL  
  
The morning had come much too early for Sydney and Vaughn. They had spent most of the night awake due to Sydney's head injury and had arrived at the hospital at the beginning of visiting hours.  
  
Will had been moved to his own room and was resting comfortably, according to the nursing staff. Vaughn told Sydney to go on into Will's room and he would join them in a while, understanding Sydney would need time to explain the previous night's events.  
  
"Hey, I was wondering when you were going to stop by." Will said easily. He made no move to sit up but managed a smile at her.  
  
"I was sent home to rest and couldn't return until visiting hours." Sydney smiled. "How you feeling?"  
  
"Like I was gutted. I tell you I have a whole new sympathy for fish." Will kept a straight facing causing Sydney to release a laugh. "You got my message." He stated.  
  
Sydney nodded her head. "Not before Allison could figure out I knew who she was. We fought; I shot her then blacked out. Vaughn came back to drop my wallet off and found you in the bathroom." Sydney grasped Will's hand reassuringly.  
  
"Any other revelations while I was out?" Will remained light-hearted.  
  
"Well, it's logical to assume Francie is no longer alive." Sydney's eyes cast toward the floor in sorrow.  
  
"I know. I figured that one out when I found the pills." His voice took on a solemn tone.  
  
"The house is a mess." Sydney effectively changed subjects.  
  
"I can just imagine. You didn't stay there last night did you?" The concern was evident.  
  
"No, I stay at Vaughn's. My father is still recovering so I didn't want to inconvenience him." Sydney sat gingerly on Will's bed, no longer holding his hand.  
  
"Speaking of Vaughn, is he at work?" Will tried to look around Sydney. "I apparently own him a debt of gratitude."  
  
"He wanted to give us some time to talk alone but he should be right outside." Sydney moved to get off the bed when the door to the room opened marginally. Vaughn knocked and announced his entry.  
  
"Hey man, how are you holding up?" He asked Will.  
  
"Pretty good, all things considered. I hear you saved my life." Will smiled at Vaughn's sudden embarrassment.  
  
"Just remember that nest time the Kings are in the playoffs." Vaughn smiled back a Will.  
  
"Oh, I brought you something to eat. I figured you deserved something better than hospital food." Vaughn held up a bag from a diner near by.  
  
"Mo's breakfast special." Will widened his eyes. "My favorite. Thanks." He reached out eagerly for the bag.  
  
"Just don't let the nurses know I smuggled it in." Sydney smiled at the camaraderie between two important people in her life.  
  
"So what are you guys doing today?" Will seemed interested in getting off the topic of his injuries.  
  
"We have a debrief at headquarters in thirty minutes and then we were supposed to spend the weekend in Santa Barbra but it doesn't look like that's happening." Sydney looked truly disappointed.  
  
"What's stopping you?" Will furrowed his brow. Sydney opened her mouth with the obvious retort but was cut off by the bedridden man. "I'm not going anywhere for a while and I will have people with me mot of the day. You guys should go and enjoy your weekend; with your schedules you're likely never to see a free weekend again."  
  
Sydney and Vaughn glanced at each other in question. Finally Vaughn turned back to Will, challenging him. "You're sure you'll be alright?" Lines appeared on his forehead.  
  
"I'll be fine. And you'll only be a few hours away. It'll make me feel better knowing one of us is enjoying the outdoors this weekend." Will immersed himself in his food. "Don't you have a meeting at headquarters to get to?" He looked up at them.  
  
Sydney looked at her watch. "Oh, yeah we do. We'll call you every day while were away and we'll leave the number we'll be staying at so you can reach us." Sydney said sternly.  
  
"Yes Mom. I promise not to get the carpets dirty while you're gone." Will smirked petulantly.  
  
Sydney leaned over and kissed Will's cheek. "Remember, no funny stuff." She moved away from him to allow Vaughn to shake Will's hand.  
  
"Get better and don't be afraid to call." Vaughn reassured.  
  
"Have fun you two!" Will called from his bed, to which he received no answer.  
  
ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA  
  
Irina's phone rang causing her to rush and pick it up. "Yes." She answered.  
  
"Ms. Derevko its Darius." Irina sighed in relief that he had finally gotten an opportunity to call. The middle aged man had been sent to infiltrate Sloane's operations and had effectively been cut off from communication with his boss.  
  
"Darius, it has been a while. You set up your cover very nicely." Irina commended.  
  
"How are my wife and the kids?" Irina grinned at the first question the man had thought to ask. One of the reasons she had picked him to help her was is unwavering loyalty to his family.  
  
"They are fine. Caroline has said that Martin made his varsity foot ball team at school. It is quite an accomplishment for a freshman." Irina was delighted to be bombarded by happiness, if only momentarily.  
  
"He is a great kid." Darius returned. "Sloane has been keeping an eye on Jack and Sydney. He wants them monitored closely; he also wants you to be taken care of when found." Irina could hear the trepidation in his words.  
  
"Good, watching Sydney and Jack will give you the perfect opportunity to ensure they are safe. As for me, I'm safe from Sloane for now." She didn't give him any more information.  
  
"I don't have much time left. I'll call you at the next possible time." Darius hung up before Irina could confirm his actions.  
  
Irina walked to the large window at the side of her house, pondering her employee's words. Sloane was after her head; he would do anything possible to get his revenge. It seemed Irina needed more protection that she had originally thought, for she was no longer alone in the battle...  
  
Please Review (-;  
  
******Didn't edit so I apologize for any errors. 


	4. Love Me

Same Disclaimers Apply. A/N: I am BEGGING for reviews. I have been formulating this story for a while and could not hold off on writing it any longer. But I will be updating my other stories next so an update my take a day or two. Oh and the song is called 'The Stone' and belongs to Dave Matthews Band, one of the best bands around. HOPE YOU ENJOY!!!!  
  
CIA TASK FORCE HEADQUATERS - L.A.  
  
Sydney entered the building looking worse for wear. Bruises adorned her face and tiny cuts peppered her cheek and hair line. She signaled to Vaughn that they should make their way to the briefing room as no one else from the team was in the central office.  
  
Kendall stopped talking upon the opening of the door. Everyone seated around the table turned to look at the pair who walked in.  
  
"I take you are feeling better Agent Bristow." Kendall tried to find an even balance between concerned and authoritative.  
  
"I am." Sydney responded. "I assume you have updated everyone on last night's events." She sat down with Vaughn quietly beside her.  
  
"I have and we were just following it up with further information on Allison Doran." Kendall placed his hands on the back of his chair while standing.  
  
"Does that not seem like a waste of resources and time?" Vaughn questioned. "The woman is dead, her life history is not important at this point. Should we not be focusing our efforts on finding Sloane and Derevko?"  
  
"Sloane has built his Rambaldi machine and is likely to content for the time being. As for Irina Derevko, she has disappeared completely from our intelligence chain. Her operation is active but she has yet to claim her victory." Kendall sat back down heavily.  
  
"What if she is not looking to claim a victory? What if she reengaged her syndicate to keep herself safe from Sloane." Jack piped up; he seemed disturbed by their conversation.  
  
"That's going out on quite a limb Jack." Kendall said.  
  
"Is it? Irina betrayed Sloane by giving his location to Sydney. She may have done more to sabotage his operations, making her a target." Jack studied the table before returning his gaze to Kendall.  
  
The room was quiet as each team member absorbed Jack's words. Sloane was a loose canon without Irina to channel his attention to Rambaldi and he was capable to taking more drastic measures without a partner to consult. The game suddenly became even more dangerous.  
  
"Okay, let's stay on top of any movement by Sloane or Derevko. If they are truly no longer working together neither of their Rambaldi collections is complete and there will likely be moves by both to obtain the missing pieces. That's all." Kendall remained seated as everyone quickly vacated the room. "Jack." He called in an effort to speak to him alone.  
  
Jack stopped in his tracks and addressed Kendall impassively. "Was there something else?"  
  
"What's going on Jack? You're distant and barely focused. You participated today, only to present the idea that Irina may not be the vicious woman you've been touting her as." He furrowed his brow in confusion and worry. Jack had not taken any time off after being held captive and Kendall was beginning to wonder if it had impaired his judgment.  
  
"Irina left me a gift at home yesterday evening." Jack eyed Kendall wearily.  
  
"A threat?" Kendall held his breath while Jack responded.  
  
"No, an apology." Jack sounded less then thrilled with the thought. Kendall was too shocked to comment. "Actually it was a song that was meant as an apology and explanation."  
  
"Effective?" Kendall crossed his arms over his chest with the question.  
  
"If the purpose was to get me to second guess myself and Irina then I suppose the answer is, very." Jack took two steps away from the other man in thought.  
  
"I may not always agree with your methods Jack, but more often then not you are able to read Irina's motivations. What do her recent actions tell you?" Kendall walked to the other side of the table but kept his eyes trained on Jack.  
  
"That's what is disturbing me, this move doesn't make sense. She should be spending her time coming up with ways to outmaneuver Sloane." Jack paused. "Communicating with me in any way will not help to keep her hidden yet it seems she has made every effort to disappear." He sighed. "Her behavior has become erratic and I can't figure out what is fueling it."  
  
"Jack, why don't you take the weekend off; Sydney and Agent Vaughn are doing much the same. On Monday you can bring the song in to be analyzed by tech. There may be more to it than music." Kendall couldn't imagine being put in Jack's position and didn't care to.  
  
"I believe I'll take you up on that." Jack bowed his head marginally, in thanks, before departing from the briefing room.  
  
On his way out of the building Jack was spotted by Sydney; she strode toward him rapidly. "Vaughn and I are heading to Santa Barbra this weekend. Here is the number if you have to reach us." She slipped a piece of paper in her father's hand. "Are you going to be okay?" Her worry was palpable.  
  
Jack gave her a tight smile. "Have a good weekend and try not to worry about anything else." Without giving herself time for second guessing, Sydney pulled her father into a hug.  
  
"Bye Dad." She said with a smile.  
  
Jack watched as she got into Vaughn's car and drove away, before getting into his own vehicle. Instantly he noticed the note tacked to his dashboard. With hesitation he pulled the note free and read the carefully formed words.  
  
Jack,  
  
There is so much in my life to be sorry for Jack. I could never account for the hurt I caused you or our daughter but I would give anything to try. Our night in Panama keeps me going; you gave me a gift that night Jack. One more precious then you could ever fathom. The morning was marred by our separation yet the night was filled with thoughts of you, of how to stay in your arms, of how to keep you with me. I cherished our departure from reality but one must realize it never stays gone too long.  
  
I.  
  
Jack's hand twitched, prepared to crumple the paper until his good sense told him it may be of value to their investigation. He laid it gentle on the seat next to him and turned his key in the ignition, peeling out of the parking garage.  
  
It wasn't until Jack hit the first set of lights outside the Task force that the CD play finally clicked on. It startled him; however, he did nothing to shut it off. Irina had piqued his curiosity ensuring Jack would see where her game was taking them. The words filtered through the car speakers in an ominous genre of music.  
  
I've this creeping  
  
Suspicion that things here are not as they seem  
  
Reassure me  
  
Why do I feel as if I'm in too deep  
  
Now I've been praying  
  
For some way to show them  
  
I'm not what they see  
  
Yes, I have done wrong  
  
But what I did I thought needed be done  
  
I swear  
  
Unholy day  
  
If I leave now I might get away  
  
Oh, but this weighs on me  
  
As heavy as stone and as blue as I go  
  
I was just wondering if you'd come along  
  
To hold my head when my head won't hold on  
  
I'll do the same if the same's what you want  
  
But if not I'll go  
  
I will go alone  
  
From that fool's mistake  
  
And now forever pay  
  
No, run  
  
I will run and I'll be ok  
  
I was just wondering if you'd come along  
  
To hold my head when my head won't hold on  
  
I'll do the same if the same's what you want  
  
But if not I'll go  
  
I will go alone  
  
I go a long way  
  
To bury the past for I don't want to pay  
  
Oh, how I wish this  
  
To turn back the clock and do over again  
  
I was just wondering if you'd come along  
  
To hold up my head when my head won't hold on  
  
I'll do the same if the same's what you want  
  
But if not I'll go  
  
I will go alone  
  
I need so  
  
To stay in your arms, see you smile, hold you close  
  
God, how it weighs on me  
  
As heavy as stone and a bone chilling cold  
  
I was just wondering if you'd come along  
  
Just tell me you will  
  
The song played out instrumentally with the time it took Jack to reach his home. He turned off the engine and leaned back against the head rest, eyes closed. Getting out of the car took more effort than he would have liked. He bypassed the living room in favor of ridding him of his suit.  
  
Jack removed his tie and jacket, draping them on the end of his bed. He was surprised to find another note and package sitting on his night table. Whoever was planting the gifts was becoming bolder, unnerving Jack.  
  
Panama, 15 weeks ago.  
  
I.  
  
Was all that the note read this time. Jack opened the non-descript envelope that was leaning against the lamp post. Pulling the single object from the inside caused his stomach to drop and his breath to catch. The grainy, black and white photo was unmistakable yet Jack found him searching the corners for confirmation.  
  
In the bottom left-hand corner a date of three days prior glared back at him, accompanied by the words 'baby Bristow at 15 weeks'...  
  
Please Review (-: 


	5. Save Me

Same Disclaimers Apply. A/N: So I've just decided Reviews are the greatest thing in the world. And I happen to be addicted. Sorry this took a while, life keeps interfering. The song is called Mad Season and belongs to Matchbox 20. Hope You Like It!!!  
  
JACK BRISTOW'S HOME - L.A.  
  
Jack was trained for stressful and shocking situations. His emotional responses shut down in favor of his rational, analytical brain. His first thought was to deny the possibility of Irina being pregnant altogether. The sonogram picture could have been faked easily enough and he didn't consider it beneath Irina to use such petty tactics.  
  
The state of complete denial lasted only a short while, when the investigator in him stepped in to present the counter view. Irina and he had slept together almost four month before in Panama and any form of birth control had been the furthest thing from either of their minds. Jack realized now that he had assumed Irina was no longer able to conceive.  
  
That thought struck him with surprising force. Irina may not be pregnant because in all likelihood she was no longer able to be. Jack realized he had to get his hands on Irina's medical report from her stay in the CIA before he could make any conclusions. But a sensation nagged at him that Irina was not lying about her condition, worrying Jack even more.  
  
Despite fatigue creeping into his limbs, Jack picked up his keys and redressed in his suit to head back to the office. During the drive anger began to make its way into Jack thoughts. Anger at Irina for a number of things he wasn't able to pin down, anger at himself for sleeping with her in the first place and for childishly not using protection.  
  
Paying no attention to the agents he passed, Jack made his way to his office and shut the door. The computer took a few moments to retrieve the information on Irina which left Jack to calm his breathing and grind his teeth. Finally the computer's beep signaled the information was available.  
  
Scanning the report for the necessary passage, further details on Irina's health caught Jack's eye. He had never review her medical form before, making himself believe that her health meant nothing to him. Jack read the doctor's notes on the small scars that adorned Irina's body from head to toe. The scars appeared to be small incisions made to the major pressure points on the body. When questioned, the doctor reported that the patient had become cold and distant which had greatly differed from her sarcastic and dark comments during the earlier portions of the exam.  
  
Jack was not able to recall any such marks on Irina's body when it had been bared to him in Panama are even the snippets of flesh he had viewed in India. However, he did have to admit to being in a hazy frame of mind during both those encounters.  
  
Continual notes had been made and most made reference to Irina's menstruation. Jack sighed heavily when he saw the doctor's comments. Irina had sporadic and short menstruation cycles likely due to her lack of body fat but had not yet shown sighs of menopause despite her age. With a sinking feeling Jack closed down the computer and sat silently in his chair.  
  
He was still no further in understanding what Irina wanted from him, or even if she was telling the truth but it was now a blatant possibility. Jack stayed seated for a while longer, not sure if he was going to be able to stand on shaky legs. The reality began to set in that he could have another child in a few months time.  
  
Shaking his head of that thought, Jack forced himself to stand. Fate was not twisted enough to allow for Irina Derevko to carry another of his children, when he wanted nothing more than to see her dead. Jack made up his mind that nothing Irina said was true and her current claim was not to be excluded.  
  
He left the office feeling better and more determined than when he had entered. He would find Irina and ensure she could no longer harm he or Sydney and IF she carried a child, that was obviously not his, it would be given to someone who would love it and care for it the way she never could.  
  
SANTA BARBRA- VILLA  
  
Sydney stood alone on the villa's balcony with her eyes closed. She was soaking up the heat of the sun and hoping they would burn away the demons she carried. The subtle contentment of five months before had been ripped from her so suddenly that she was left feeling numb.  
  
For a moment in time she was happy; her mother was cooperating with the CIA and they had contact, Francie and Will were together and stable, Sloane was running out of time and she and Vaughn had finally been able to drop the façade and begin to form a relationship then it all stopped. Her mother was gone, Will had almost died, and Francie was no more.  
  
"You interested in a late lunch?" Vaughn asked from the doorway.  
  
Sydney turned and smiled at him. "Sure, if you feel like it." Then turned back around.  
  
"Syd, we can go back to L.A. if it'll make you feel better." Vaughn's forehead creased in concern.  
  
Sydney turned fully to face him and looked apologetic. "I'm sorry Vaughn, we only just got here and already my mind is wandering. It isn't fair to you or to myself. I do want to be here and I'm not ready to leave no matter how many times you may have to call my name to get my attention."  
  
Vaughn moved closer to her and snagged her hand gently. "I have nothing to complain about. Just having you here with me is enough to make me happy. You've been bombarded by the negative side of life a few too many times lately and this weekend is supposed to make up for at least some of that. We can spend it doing what ever you want: whether it be at the beach, shopping, sleeping, reading or other more enjoyable pastimes; it is your decision." Vaughn smiled reassuringly.  
  
"I think I'd like to hear your detailed description of 'more enjoyable pastimes' before deciding what I'd like to invest my time doing this weekend." Sydney slid flush with him.  
  
"Oh, you'll like it trust me. There is no better investment to be made." He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist.  
  
"I change my mind; a demonstration is going to be necessary." Any further conversation was covered by a searing kiss. The two skillfully made their way into the main part of the villa and away from any prying eyes outside.  
  
JACK'S HOME - L.A.  
  
The incessant ringing of the phone woke Jack from an uncomfortable sleep on the couch. He took note of the scotch still residing in the bottle and realized his attempt to drink himself into oblivion had been thwarted by his own body's fatigue.  
  
The clock on the wall in front of him shone eleven-eleven in bright orange numbers. The phone continued to ring causing Jack to grope for it in the dark living room.  
  
"What?" He answered harshly into the phone.  
  
"Did you find what you were looking for Jack?" The voice answered back.  
  
"What are you taking about?" He returned on full alert.  
  
"The medical files." Was all he received in return.  
  
"I don't have time for your games Irina." Jack sat up straight on the couch and stared longingly at the scotch. "How did you know I would look there?" Jack briefly toyed with the idea that she altered the files but that would have been impossible as only three people knew where to find them.  
  
"Because you're very thorough Jack and you would first try to eliminate the most obvious possibility. But I'm sure all your search left you with were more questions." Irina said in an even tone.  
  
"And you're going to answer them?" Jack said bitterly.  
  
"I'm not lying about this Jack, I wouldn't."  
  
"Well now that I have your word I suppose I should be satisfied." He said sarcastically. "What I don't understand is that if you are indeed telling the truth, why bother telling me. Unless you simply want to use this against me, or possibly lord it over me as a means to get what you want." Jack's voice rose, infused with hatred.  
  
"I know what it's like not to be able to see your child grow up and I didn't want you to go through the same pain such a feeling caused me." Irina's tone was cautious but sincere.  
  
Jack scoffed at her words. "You left Irina, it was your choice whether you got to be a part of Sydney's life or not and you chose not. So don't compare situations."  
  
"The fact is Jack, that I can't do this on my own. I can't stay hidden forever and when Sloane does find me he won't hesitate to hurt our child to get to either of us. It would be the ultimate prize for him Jack; he would be able to garner his revenge on the two people who betrayed him. I know you don't want to hear this but I did what I had to in order to protect you and Sydney, now I'm coming to you in return." Irina sounded urgent but Jack paid it no heed.  
  
"How many men did you have to sleep with before you got pregnant Irina?" Jack spit out. "I suppose after our marriage prostitution for a worthy cause comes naturally to you, so I'm sure it was no problem to ensure you met your goal." Jack began grinding his teeth while seething, just waiting for Irina's response.  
  
To his surprise the line remained silent. He could hear Irina's measured breaths but she didn't utter a word. Jack furrowed his brow in confusion; she should have been slinging insults back at him but instead she gave nothing.  
  
"I need you now Jack." Her answering words were quiet and shaky, nothing like the strength Irina Derevko embodied.  
  
"You must think me the biggest fool you've encountered. I'm not falling into another of your traps Irina. You handle your own life; they were your decisions that took you there." Jack hung up the phone with fury. He dropped his head in his hands and began replaying the conversation over through his mind, nothing made sense. Irina was changing the game and he didn't know how to change with it.  
  
ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA  
  
Irina dropped the phone beside her on the table after listening to the dial tone for a short while. She did nothing to wipe the tears Jack's comments had forced from her eyes for she was alone in the house.  
  
Fear had been something Irina had faced very few times during her life but the feeling seemed to be encasing her lately. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep herself or the baby safe for long and when Sloane found her she would have no defense.  
  
Her hands drifted to her lower abdomen where they softly ran over the small lump beginning to form. A decision had been made when she had heard the heartbeat for the first time, no matter what, Irina would make sure the baby was alive and taken care of. Nothing would stop her from protecting her child as she had tried to do for Sydney so many times before.  
  
Irina had underestimated the degree of hatred Jack had for her. She knew he had implanted the passive transmitter after they had made love in Panama but she had held onto hope that he still cared for her and had more than his job in mind when he was with her. With a jolt of clarity she realized she still hoped he cared for her and even loved her, which meant she would have to work harder to get him back.  
  
JACK BRISTOW'S HOME - MONDAY (long weekend)  
  
Each morning the sun seemed to immerge earlier which roused Jack from his comfortable bed. He got up and worked through his morning routine, finally making it to the kitchen for breakfast. On the kitchen table sat a large bouquet of lilies and a parcel. Immediately Jack looked around the room for signs of an intruder but found none. He was furious with himself for not hearing the person enter the house and realized he could have easily been killed.  
  
There was no note this time but Jack understood the significance of the lilies. He had given Irina lilies every day for a month after finding out she was pregnant with Sydney. He likely would have continued if Irina had not insisted he stop as they were saving money for the baby's arrival.  
  
The parcel was yet another CD and Jack found himself debating whether to play it or not. He didn't understand what Irina was trying to gain from sending him music but once again curiosity won out and he placed the disk in the stereo.  
  
I feel stupid - but I know it won't last for long  
  
I've been guessing - I coulda been guessing wrong  
  
You don't know me now  
  
I kinda thought that you should somehow  
  
Does that whole mad season got you down  
  
I feel stupid but it's something that comes and goes  
  
I've been changin' - think its funny how no one knows  
  
We don't talk about - the little things that we do without  
  
When that whole mad season comes around  
  
So why ya gotta stand there  
  
Looking like the answer now  
  
It seems to me - you'd come around  
  
I need you now  
  
Do you think you can cope  
  
You figured me out - I'm lost and I'm hopeless  
  
Bleeding and broken - though I've never spoken  
  
I come undone - in this mad season  
  
I feel stupid - but I think I've been catchin' on  
  
I feel ugly but I know I still turn you on  
  
You've grown colder now, torn apart, angry, turned around  
  
Will that whole made season knock you down  
  
So why you gotta stand there  
  
Are you help me out  
  
You need to be together now - I need you now  
  
Now I'm crying - isn't that what you want  
  
I'm trying to live my life on my own  
  
But I won't  
  
At times - I do believe I am strong  
  
So someone tell me why, why, why  
  
Do I feel stupid now  
  
And I come undone  
  
Jack took the CD out of the stereo and placed it with the other two, intending on taking them to the guys in tech the next day and trying not to think of the words Irina had chosen this time.  
  
Please Review (-: 


	6. Need Me

Same Disclaimers Apply. A/N: I really apologize for not writing sooner and I have a million reasons but I figure I'll just skip those and let you read. Oh and please don't forget to review, this stories reviews seem to pale in comparison to my others. SIMLES** ENJOY!!!!!!!!  
  
SANTA MONICA  
  
The late afternoon sun shifted in the sky, edging its way toward the horizon. The weather had been sunny and warm the entire weekend but now dark clouds waited in the distance. Sydney was packing while Vaughn finished in the bathroom. They spoke through the open door in raised voices.  
  
"It looks like we're leaving just in time." Sydney commented.  
  
"Yeah, although I would rather stay here through a storm than have to go back to work in L.A." The sink faucet ran behind his words.  
  
"Me too, but we have jobs to get back to and I want to check up on Will and my Dad. He seemed a little distracted when we left and he actually took the weekend off." Sydney folded another item and placed it in the bag.  
  
"I think he's just worried about what Sloane is going to do now that his machine has been assembled. And Will seems more than ready to leave the hospital." Vaughn chuckled at that.  
  
"I know, it sounded like he was going to break something if he didn't get out of that bed when we talked today." Sydney smiled and glanced at the bathroom.  
  
"Is there someone to stay with him while he's recuperating at home?" Vaughn asked.  
  
"His sister is going to stay with him for a while. The CIA concocted a story about a home intruder; they informed Francie's family yesterday. I'm not looking forward to the mess I have to clean up at my apartment." Sydney kept her back to the bathroom door.  
  
"The CIA had the apartment cleaned for you, so that's one less thing to worry about." Vaughn walked out of the bathroom to find Sydney's shoulders slumped and her head down. "Hey." He called to her and turned her around.  
  
She had tears slowly sliding down her cheeks and a firm grip on her lower lips with her teeth. Vaughn took her in his arms and held her tight. She buried her face in the curve of his neck and continued to cry.  
  
"Ssshh, hey." Vaughn was at a loss on how else to comfort the woman in his arms. She had gone the entire weekend with out tears or even a mention of pain. Sydney pulled back after a while and wiped the tears she could.  
  
"I don't know if I can do this anymore Vaughn. I don't think I can face my best friend's family and tell them that their daughter is dead. We're not even giving them Francie to bury, but the person who killed her. She's dead because of me Vaughn and Will could have been." Sydney ranted evenly.  
  
"I don't know what to tell you Syd. If you don't want to come back to the CIA then I respect that, you have to do what feels right for you. But I will say that leaving now would mean letting Sloane get away with everything. You deserve to be the one to take him down Sydney and you will. No matter what though, I'll be with you." Vaughn pulled her close again and kissed the side of her head. He placed both his hands on either side of her face and held it steady. "Remember, I love you." Vaughn then placed a small kiss on her lips.  
  
Sydney smiled slightly and her eyes lit up. "I love you too." She kissed him this time. "And you're right, I won't rest until Sloane is either dead or in lock up."  
  
"Come on, we've got a bit of a drive ahead of us and I know you want to visit Will." Vaughn moved away from her and began placing the last few items into their bags.  
  
"Michael," Sydney said softly causing Vaughn to look sharply at her. "Promise me we'll come back here." She still held the tiny smile with traces of tears in her eyes.  
  
"Promise." He said seriously.  
  
ST. PETERSBURG - RUSSIA  
  
Irina lay on a bed in her home with her shirt drawn up and stomach exposed. A woman stood beside and ran an ultrasound wand across her flesh. Both their heads were turned toward the small monitor clearly depicting a contrast of white, black, and grays.  
  
"Everything looks good Irina. I don't see any reason to continue weekly ultrasounds." Her Russian accent bled obviously through her English. "Any falls or hits you may have taken have not damaged the baby." She wiped the gel off the wand then Irina's stomach.  
  
"Thank you. I've been worried ever since I found out I was pregnant. This was not something I expected at my age." Irina sat up and readjusted her clothing.  
  
"You would be surprised how many women get pregnant at or around fifty, thinking it is no longer likely. Menopause is being delayed longer in our society while puberty seems to arrive sooner. But I must tell you again that eventually you'll have to come in to the hospital to see me. I can not keep coming to your house to do your check ups, you're high risk as it is." The woman began putting her equipment away.  
  
"What things can't you do here?" Irina asked.  
  
"I can't do an amniocentesis here and I would recommend you get one." Irina waited for her to elaborate. "The risk of genetic mutations or anomalies rise with a woman's age. Unfortunately this child has a significant chance of being born with Downs Syndrome. I would just like to take every precaution with you." Irina got up and walked the doctor down the stairs, to the front door.  
  
"I understand. Call me when you would like to set up the test and I'll be there. All I ask is that we keep this confidential. I would like you to perform the test with no one else in the room and no record of the sample being tested to appear in the hospital records." Irina's eyes pleaded with the woman.  
  
"I'm sure I can manage that." The doctor smiled at her patient before leaving the house.  
  
Irina shut the door and locked it. She was exhausted and it was barely late afternoon yet. She collapsed gently onto the living room couch and closed her eyes momentarily. The pregnancy was making her tired but more than that the lack of stimuli was creating a sense of lethargy. Irina rarely left the house and few people entered. She had done her best to keep herself well hidden and away from danger. The only contact she made, with anyone other than her trusted physician and the housekeepers, was with Jack.  
  
She ran her syndicate through the wonders of technology from the study down the hall. She ran, swam and kick boxed to stay fit; she read books, watch more T.V. and movies than she had during the rest of her life and listened to new and old music. But much of the time she found her thoughts drifting to Jack and their night in Panama. Irina marveled at every variable that had to be in place in order to cause conception.  
  
The odds of conceiving were low to begin with but she and Jack had picked one random night in twenty years to make love and the result seemed to have been fated. There was no other explanation for the child she carried; the child she had already fallen in love with.  
  
Irina glanced at the large mantel clock and decided it was time for further action where Jack was concern. She picked up the phone and dialed his number from memory....  
  
Please Review (-: 


	7. Please Me

Same Disclaimers Apply. A/N: This chapter was a real bitch to write. I just about gave up writing the Jack/Irina conversation but I prevailed!!! Oh well, now I have to get back to my two other stories; however the next chapter will not take as long to write. Promise.. ENJOY!!!!!!  
  
JACK BRISTOW'S HOME - L.A.  
  
Jack heard the phone ring and left the bathroom to catch it before the machine did. He had been in the process of preparing for bed after reviewing files and getting things in order for his return to work the next day.  
  
"Bristow." He answered, assuming it was either work or Sydney.  
  
"Jack." The other end replied causing him to grip the phone tighter.  
  
"Tell me Irina, are you truly interested in stopping Sloane?" He sat on his bed.  
  
She was momentarily stunned at his question. "I've already told you I am Jack."  
  
"Then explain to me why you continue to waste my time with these calls when I could be working on a way to bring Sloane down?" His tone held no bitterness or anger.  
  
"I didn't realize I was taking up so much of your time or that the CIA was so close to finding and destroying Sloane. I suppose that means you don't want any help I can provide." Irina was having difficulty containing her reflexive temper.  
  
"The CIA has experienced your help Irina. We're up a waffle iron and down a Rambaldi study due to your help." The second use of the word 'help' was nearly spit by Jack.  
  
"Listen to me Jack, I'm hidden and safe for the moment but I'm not naïve enough to believe Sloane won't come after the Rambaldi pieces I took from him. If it were only my life I would be willing to take risks in protecting the pieces but it isn't." Irina's voice became soft.  
  
"Of course, how could I forget that you're pregnant." Jack rolled eyes Irina wasn't able to see. "Playing the emotional card is getting old Irina; I suggest you change tactics."  
  
"It's your child Jack and without your help I won't be able to protect his or her life. Tell me what I can do to make you believe me Jack; I'm fresh out of ideas."  
  
"And the songs were so creative too." Mock disappointment ran through the line. "Save everyone a lot of trouble and have your body delivered to CIA headquarters; I'll believe you then." Jack heard Irina sigh over the line.  
  
"Now you're just being absurd Jack. You don't want to see me dead." She hoped he would confirm her statement.  
  
"Yes I do." Irina squeezed her eyes shut and bit down on her bottom lip. "However, being that you claim to be pregnant I suppose your death could be postponed until after your due date." Irina inhaled sharply as Jack's words reached her ears.  
  
Something had occurred since the last time she saw him. He had changed; his last proclamation had reminded her too much of Arvin Sloane and she realized she was responsible. She had once again neglected to give him any explanation before escaping in Panama. The bitterness she had seen abating during her time in CIA custody was back with a vengeance, possibly at the cost her life.  
  
"I don't understand you Irina. You have the largest information and criminal network in the world yet you claim to need me to protect you from one man. Why not just kill Sloane? You'll no longer have to bother me."  
  
"You know it isn't that simple Jack. I don't know where the rest of Sloane's Rambaldi pieces are located and I can't risk not finding them if he's dead."  
  
"So it all comes back to Rambaldi. You don't want me to protect you from Sloane; you want me to help you attain all the Rambaldi pieces. You once said I was smarter than Kendall and even he wouldn't help you so what do you suppose my response will be?" Jack finally relaxed his grip on the phone, knowing he had the upper hand in their conversation.  
  
"Go check your mailbox Jack." Irina said suddenly.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" He demanded.  
  
"Just do it." Her patience was wearing thin causing her accent to blend her words together.  
  
Jack got up and walked to the front door. Irina could hear him pound the floor as he often did when angry.  
  
"Another CD and I thought you had run out of ideas." Jack closed the door and turned the disk over in his palm.  
  
"You're so quick to make yourself believe the child I carry isn't yours but you know there is a viable possibility whether or not you want to acknowledge it. I'm telling you without doubt; you are the father. You can punish me all you want Jack but don't punish our child; don't ignore he or she exists. I know you have so many regrets where Sydney is concerned, I do as well. We are being given a second chance Jack; please don't disregard that without contemplating what it means."  
  
Silence reign over the other end making Irina wonder if Jack was still on the line. "Listen to the disk Jack." He still said nothing; Irina assumed he was putting the disk in the stereo.  
  
Jack placed the CD in the stereo and brought his hand down and away from it. Without noticing he turned the volume high before pressing play. The speakers came to life with a quick pounding sound. Jack was confused as to the nature of the disk.  
  
So loud was the noise, Irina could hear it on the other end of the phone line. "Do you know what this is Jack?" She didn't wait for a response. "This is the sound of our child's heartbeat."  
  
It hit Jack with unbelievable force that there was another being involved in his dealings with Irina whether he liked it or not. "When are you due?" Jack's voice sounded shaky to his own ears but hoped Irina hadn't picked it up.  
  
Irina found herself smiling into the phone. "December eighth."  
  
"Good then I would recommend you discontinue communication with me in order to keep yourself safe in the interim." Jack hit the off button on his phone effectively ending the conversation.  
  
Letting the phone drop to the coffee table in the middle of the room, Jack stood still listening to the beating heart continuing to play over the speakers.  
  
BOGOTA, COLOMBIA  
  
Sloane sat at his desk diligently reviewing information pertaining to his Rambaldi collection. Going on a week without any clues on Irina's location or the location of the artifacts she took with her was beginning to frustrate him. Letting his mask of calm escape him, he pulled his glasses from his face and threw them down on his computer keyboard.  
  
The door opened to admit one of his subordinates resulting in the return of Sloane's composure. The man held up a folder without expression.  
  
"The most recent surveillance from California Mr. Sloane." He handed the file over.  
  
Sloane opened the folder and glanced at the pictures of Sydney, Vaughn, Jack, Dixon, and scanned the report attached.  
  
"Have there been any further developments?" Sloane looked up at the man.  
  
"Ms. Bristow and Mr. Vaughn spent the weekend in Santa Barbra, Mr. Dixon took his daughters to the park and checked in with the CIA late Sunday evening." He said.  
  
"And Jack?" Sloane asked.  
  
"Mr. Bristow didn't leave his home with the exception of runs on all three days."  
  
"Jack took the weekend off?" Sloane sounded rightfully surprised; his employee nodded in affirmation. "Perhaps his encounter with me last week affected him more than I anticipated." Sloane narrowed his eyes at his desk top. "Jack Bristow's behavior has changed and I want to know what caused it."  
  
"Yes Mr. Sloane."  
  
"You've shown me nothing of Irina Derevko's status." Sloane's dark eyes narrowed at the man before him.  
  
"No Sir, we have not been able to locate Ms. Derevko or the Rambaldi pieces she obtained while working with you but we're focusing the majority of our attention on the issue."  
  
"Irina Derevko is not an issue; she is a menus and I want her found and disposed of." Sloane's voice was even and strong.  
  
"Yes Mr. Sloane." Sloane looked away from the man signaling his time to exit.  
  
CIA TASK FORCE HEADQUATERS - L.A.  
  
Vaughn worked studiously at his computer in the centre of headquarters. He had arrived early and well rested from his extended weekend but found his concentration departing from the numerous tasks piling his desk.  
  
Movement coming toward him caused him to raise his eyes to find the focus of wondering attention, entering the operations hub. She smiled when she caught him looking her way.  
  
"Hey, how was Will this morning?" Vaughn spun in his chair when Sydney sat on the side of his desk.  
  
"Better. He'll have to limit his movement for a while but the doctors said they would like to released him by Friday." Sydney said happily.  
  
"Did you give him my gift?" Vaughn's smile made Sydney shake her head.  
  
"I did and he said now he owes you even more. What is it with guys and video games?"  
  
Weiss chose that moment to enter the conversation. "Syd, video games are only the single greatest invention of our time. It's like our generation's form of comfort." Vaughn and Sydney laughed at Weiss' shocked expression.  
  
"Well, at least I know what to get you for your next birthday." Sydney said smiling.  
  
"You're going to buy me a birthday present? I'm touched." Weiss responded in mock seriousness. "So how was the weekend?"  
  
Sydney and Vaughn shared a knowing look and Weiss just glanced back and forth between them. "Okay, so it was great. You don't have to rub it in or anything." Weiss shook his head and began to walk off muttering to himself. "I've got to get a girlfriend."  
  
Sydney and Vaughn watched him walk away with matching smiles. Before they could continue speaking, Jack strode into the work space with purpose etched across his face. Sydney scrutinized his appearance, knowing something was different but not able to pin it down.  
  
His suit was smartly pressed and orderly on his tall frame; his hair sat neatly atop his head but his face told a story of fatigue and worry. Jack didn't seem to notice his daughter's eyes on him due to his impatient search of the room.  
  
It didn't take Jack long to focus on Marshall and proceed to his desk in the corner. He spoke to him quickly in an attempt at thwarting Marshall's chance to be vocal. Handing him a set of disks he said his last sentence sternly to the younger man before walking away.  
  
Sydney communicated her worry silently to Vaughn before following her father. She caught up with him in the hallway and called out to him.  
  
"Dad!"  
  
"Sydney." He said calmly. "You look much more relaxed since your excursion this weekend."  
  
"Thanks, however I don't think I can say the same for you." Jack read the worry in his daughter's eyes and cursed himself for not masking his sleeplessness better. "I thought you took the weekend off."  
  
"I spent the weekend at home but I took work with me. I'm fine." He saw that she wasn't buying his answer. "Really Sydney, you've got more important things to occupy your time; Sloane still needs to be found." His exterior hardened in front of her before he spun on his heel and walked down the hall.  
  
Sydney was left standing in the middle of the hallway poised to speak. She decided to get answers her father was obviously unwilling to give. Turning to re-enter the main office she looked for Marshall.  
  
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	8. Tease Me

Same Disclaimers Apply. A/N: Thanks for the great reviews from the last chapter. As you can see they obviously motivate me to write. So here is the next installment and please don't forget to send more. ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
CIA TASK FORCE HEADQUARTERS - L.A.  
  
Sydney caught up with Marshall in his tech room, eager to know what her father had him working on.  
  
"Marshall." She said in greeting. He jumped and spun around, startled by her presence.  
  
"Syd hi. What are you doing here? Well, you work here- I know- but what are you doing here in this room? Not many people venture in here but you're always welcome." He stopped and took a deep breath. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"You can tell me what me father has you working on." Sydney smiled at him but Marshall looked uncomfortable.  
  
"Um Syd, your father told me I wasn't suppose to discuss the work with anyone. But I'm not really sure why cause all he gave me was a few CDs with some pretty great songs. He wants me to check for further information on the disks but so far I haven't found anything." Sydney stayed quiet hoping Marshall would continue speaking. "Oh but this one is different from the rest on the disks." He held up a CD case and placed the disk in the computer.  
  
"How so?" Sydney asked nonchalantly.  
  
"Well, there's no music on it other than a base drum and echo." Marshall hit the play button for Sydney to hear.  
  
"It sounds like a heartbeat." She concluded.  
  
Marshall seemed both surprised and intrigued. "Hey, you're right. Bum, bum, bum, bum, bum." He chanted with it but faltered when he remembered Sydney was in the room with him. Marshall cleared his throat. "Isn't it a little fast for a heartbeat?"  
  
"I don't know enough about the heart to help you out Marshall but I would look into it if I were you." She smiled one final time and started on her way out the door. Just before reaching the exit she turned around again. "My father didn't happen to tell you where those came from, did he?"  
  
"N-no, he just said they had been delivered to him." Marshall looked worried; he realized too late he had shared his assignment with Sydney despite being ordered not to.  
  
"Thanks Marshall and good luck."  
  
Sydney walked back out to Vaughn's desk. "Well?" He questioned.  
  
"My father has Marshall analyzing music." Vaughn leaned back in his chair with a perplexed frown. "He didn't tell Marshall where it came from or what he's to look for."  
  
"Did your father mention anything?" Vaughn tapped his pen against his desk.  
  
"No, in fact he did everything in his power to deter me from asking questions." Sadness crept into Sydney's voice, knowing her father was once again trying to distance himself from her.  
  
"I'm sure he'll fill you in when he feels it's necessary, maybe it's nothing at all." Vaughn tried to reassure her.  
  
"Yeah, you're probably right." Neither of them seemed too convinced of the idea.  
  
THREE WEEKS LATER - BOTGOTA, COLOMBIA  
  
"This is unacceptable! I gave orders and I expect them to be fulfilled, instead I have been made to sit idly by and watch your utter incompetence!" Sloane railed at three of his employees. "Do any of you understand what you are risking with each second you waste!"  
  
"Sir, Ms. Derevko has continued to elude our searches. She seems to have disappeared completely from her organization." One of the men answered quietly.  
  
"Irina Derevko wants what I have and she will stop at nothing until she gets it. She will surface eventually and try to complete her Rambaldi collection but I want her found before that! Do I make myself clear or do I need to better illustrate my point!" Sloane's tone spoke of unmentionable actions resulting in the nervous fidgeting of two of his operatives. The two left quickly and immediately got back to work while the third man remained in Sloane's office.  
  
"Was there something else Darius?" Sloane kept his head down, reading.  
  
"Sir I wondered if you would like to limit surveillance to only the Bristows in order to maximize people on the Derevko case."  
  
"Do you believe it will make a difference?"  
  
"I would hope Sir. However if I may be frank, I believe Ms. Derevko will only be found when she wishes to be." Darius had worked his way to the top of Sloane's hierarchy of employees in the short time he had been working under him.  
  
"I would have to agree with you Mr. Larkin but I will not miss an opportunity to bring Irina in because I overestimated her abilities and intelligence." Sloane glanced up from his paper work.  
  
The door to Sloane's office opened before Darius could finish. "What gave you the impression that I wanted you in my office?" He yelled harshly to the new arrival.  
  
"I apologize Mister Sloane, but we think we've located Ms. Derevko." The man stated excitedly.  
  
"You 'think' you've located her or you have?" Sloane's eyes narrowed in irritation.  
  
"St. Petersburg, Russia Sir. We can't be certain she is still there but evidence indicates she has been sighted within the last week." He said in response.  
  
"Have the jet prepared to leave within the hour." She man nodded his head and left the room. "I suppose everyone goes home again." He smiled at Darius Larkin and exited the office as well.  
  
Darius was left alone in the room with nervous thoughts. He had made a mistake and not intercepted information pertaining to Irina's location. Knowing he had no way of warning her of Sloane's arrival, he hoped that she would be able to protect herself.  
  
VAUGHN'S RESIDENCE - L.A.  
  
"Did you hear they are planning to move Sark permanently? He's probably going to be executed before the end of the year." Sydney called from the kitchen.  
  
Vaughn was in his bedroom re-dressing after his shower. He had gone straight to the bathroom after arriving home from a weekly hockey game, stopping only long enough to kiss Sydney hello and notice she had begun preparing dinner.  
  
"When did they make the decision final?" Vaughn called back.  
  
"Five. Just after you left for the rink." She stirred one of the pots sitting on the burner.  
  
"He hasn't been of much use the past few weeks. His intel is dated and useless now that Sloane and Irina have parted ways. I suppose it isn't a great shock." Vaughn walked into the kitchen in t-shirt and jeans, coming up behind Sydney. "Want some help?" He asked after kissing the side of her neck.  
  
"Would you mind setting the table? Dinner will be ready in about two minutes." Sydney turned her head slightly to look at him.  
  
Vaughn smiled in response and began pulling out the cutlery, plates and drinks. "I talked to Will today." He said while working. "He said they have him analyzing documents from Liberia. In short he's bored out of his mind."  
  
"I know how he feels. These last few weeks have been so slow I feel I'm about to burst with anticipation. The task force has had nothing to bite for a while now and it is showing in the atmosphere at work. You've seen it Vaughn, doesn't it disturb you that so many people are becoming comfortable with our current state?" She dished the stir fry onto the plate Vaughn had brought down and each of them sat at the table.  
  
"Yeah, I'm seeing people becoming lazy. I feel as though this is the calm before the storm so to speak." He answered.  
  
"Have you seen my father lately?" Sydney asked.  
  
"I've seen him around the office off and on. I heard the CIA is looking to promote him; he has running ops all over the world with stunning results." Vaughn seemed pleased with her father's success.  
  
"The few times I have seen him he has looked haggard. In three weeks he's run fourteen operations. That's unheard of!" Sydney leaned forward as thought she were sharing a secret with Vaughn.  
  
"I don't know what to tell you Syd. Your father is a grown man and is likely going to do things you don't understand but you have to trust that he knows what is best for himself."  
  
"I know you're right but I just can't shake the feeling that there is more going on with him than he is letting on." She sighed, shaking her head. "Maybe I just need something to take my mind off of it."  
  
"Well, I'm pretty sure I can help you there." Vaughn smiled at Sydney who cracked a smile in return. "I was thinking about how much time you spent here today and I came to a conclusion." Vaughn announced.  
  
"Am I crowding you? Did you want me to give you some space?" Sydney asked wearily.  
  
"Actually the opposite. You haven't gone back to your apartment except to pick up more cloths since that night." They no longer made reference to specific events of the night four weeks before. "Most of your cloths are already here so I figure maybe you'd be interested in moving in with me, permanently." Vaughn waited for a response.  
  
"You're serious?" Vaughn nodded his head in affirmation. "I would love to move in with you." Sydney smiled warmly but it didn't last long. "To be honest I have been avoiding the return to my apartment and am very pleased I won't have to return at all. Now I just need to get rid of it." Her smile returned giving Vaughn the urge to kiss her, which he did without hesitation.  
  
CIA TASK FORCE HEADQUARTERS - L.A.  
  
Marshall sat in his tech room, oblivious to the late hour. His mind was consumed with his latest invention and he was eager to complete it. He wasn't aware that he was being observed from the doorway with urgency.  
  
"Mr. Flinkman, have you completed the assignment I gave you?" Jack asked with edge.  
  
Marshall jumped high in his chair and spun around. He dropped the tools he held in his hand and began opening and closing his mouth much like a fish out of water.  
  
"Mr. Bristow Sir, I didn't see you there. You must have snuck up on me." His eyes went wide. "Not that you would sneak you on someone but I- I-uh finished the assignment." He finished.  
  
"And?" Jack prompted.  
  
"I analyzed the disks in every conceivable way. I broke them down and isolated different sections of the music but I wasn't able to find anything unusual. These seem to be regular music CDs." Marshall's hands moved with his speech.  
  
"Thank you Mr. Flinkman, now if I am have my CDs back?" Jack held out his hand.  
  
"Um yeah- sure." Marshall dropped two of the disks on his desk while trying to hand them to Jack. "Your-" Marshall began speaking but Jack walked out of the room before he could complete his sentence. "Welcome"  
  
Jack was bewildered with Irina's actions from three weeks before. She had bombarded him with messages and phone calls for almost a week but had stopped abruptly after Jack told her to. Nothing seemed to fit with Irina's normal behavior igniting a dull throb behind Jack's eyes. He didn't want to admit it to himself but he had been worried about Irina after the calls and notes had stopped; Sloane may have gotten to her because Jack was unwilling to help her. Jack quickly shock himself of that thought and decided to call it a night.  
  
ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA  
  
The house stood alone in a quiet forest area outside the main part of the city. Everything looked lush in the late June sun as Sloane and his guards positioned themselves within the brush.  
  
"What are our orders Mr. Sloane?" One of the men asked through his ear piece.  
  
Sloane was silent for long moments, carefully thinking of his strike plan. "On my mark I want all bodies to begin firing on the house. Aim for doors, windows and anything else that appears to be permeable." All lines were quiet in awe of how far he was willing to go, but each rifle was raised and set for his command.  
  
"Mark." Sloane said easily as the tranquil home of Irina Derevko erupted in the angry sound of gunfire.  
  
Please Review (-:  
  
I'm begging here. I'll be the first to admit it is a sick addiction but it is mine and I'm proud of it. (smiles) All I want to make be happy are reviews so I'm asking very nicely. Pretty please with a cherry on top. 


	9. Seize Me

Same Disclaimers Apply. A/N: Reviews have been absolutely wonderful!!!!!! Thank you so very much. I hope everyone likes this chapter and/or this story cause I have great things in store. ENJOY!!!!!!  
  
ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA  
  
Sloane's smile seemed to be amplified with every bullet fired. The sun's light had given way to twilight, allowing the firing squad an unhindered view of the house. The machine guns began to sound choppy as men reloaded clips time and again.  
  
"Sir, our men are running out of ammunition." Larkin told Sloane as his stomach twisted itself in knots.  
  
"Stop firing. I'm sure that's done it." The smile on his face never wavered.  
  
"Weapons down." Larkin ordered to the men. In response he heard a few thankful sighs and the click of the safety on each weapon. Larkin turned his attention to the beaten structure that once served as a home. In its current state it would barely pass muster for a condemned barn.  
  
"Shall we go inspect our work?" Sloane said eagerly as he stood.  
  
The front door no longer stood on its hinges, pleasing Sloane to no end. The calmness of the house took him by surprise and the broken glass underfoot caused him to tense sharply. Three minutes of searching the house saw the loss of Sloane's grin.  
  
"She isn't here." His statement was hard and icy. He turned and began his walk out of the house but spun back around to take a final glance. "What a waste." He said about the destroyed furniture and walls.  
  
The men in the room understood that this meant Irina Derevko still needed to be found and sooner rather than later if they wanted to keep their lives intact. Sloane was reacting with reserved anger at the lack of current information but someone would take the heat for the mistake in the near future.  
  
CIA JOINT TASK FORCE HEADQUARTERS - L.A.  
  
"The Greta Statue." Kendall said as a picture of a golden female statue appeared on the conference room screen. "Made in Germany in the late eighteen hundreds, the statue was a gift from the English to Spain directly following the Second World War. It has remained in the Spanish parliament building until this man, Yogan Von Brightenhow, took it upon himself to take it from the building and return it to Germany. All evidence leads us to believe he has acted independent of his country but that isn't enough to stop an international incident if the Spanish were to find out." Kendall sounded dismayed with the stupidity of people.  
  
"Agents Bristow and Vaughn you will find the statue, take it back from Von Brightenhow and return it to the parliament building in the cleaning facility before they miss it. You leave at 0800 tomorrow morning." Vaughn and Sydney exchanged glances and left the room.  
  
"This may be the first operation your father hasn't participated in over the last month." Vaughn said as he and Sydney walked back to their desks.  
  
"I know. I haven't seen him around the last two days." Sydney hoped Vaughn would have information.  
  
"Weiss said your father was booked on a flight to Virginia a couple days ago. Rumors have been circulating that they wanted to see him at Langley." Vaughn sat in his chair and leaned back.  
  
"You think he's getting a promotion?" Sydney asked thoughtfully.  
  
"It would make sense." Vaughn replied.  
  
"Yeah, but what position is left out here for him to take. I doubt they're going to continue the game of musical director. Both Kendall and my father are sick of it." Sydney looked down at the floor.  
  
"I guess we should wait until he gets back." Vaughn smiled and raised his eyebrows at her. "Now as for this mission."  
  
Vaughn trailed off as the two set out to work on the operation procedure. Hours passed before they were forced to come up for air with the ringing of Vaughn's phone.  
  
"Vaughn." He answered. "Yeah, we're on our way." He hung up and allowed his eyes to rest on Sydney. "Kendall's calling us to the briefing room for an emergency meeting."  
  
BRIEFING ROOM  
  
The briefing room looked darker after being in it once before that day. Sydney felt as though she was dragging her feet with the few steps from the door to her seat. She noted the addition of Marshall, Weiss, Dixon and Carrie to the meeting before sitting. Moments later the door to the room opened and Jack breezed through. He nodded at Kendall with his mask of neutrality readily set to his features.  
  
"We recently received intel that Sloane and a few of his associates opened full scale fire on a house." Kendall's tone sounded conflicted with somber and confused inflictions. "The home was situated just within the boarders of St. Petersburg, Russia and appears to have belonged to Irina Derevko." Sydney's attention increased with Kendall's final words and he caught Jack's head snap sharply around to face him fully. "The house is in utter ruins but apparently no body was found." Kendall finished.  
  
Under the table Jack gripped the arm rests tightly. He was surprised at the pain that ripped through him at the idea of Irina's death. Slowly he realized he cared for Irina whether he wanted to or not but acceptance was not going to follow easily. Endless possibilities of her death or continued life rattled around in his brain before a voice drew him from his musings.  
  
"Sloane could have had the body removed." Carrie said.  
  
"He would have seen it as a waste of his time." Jack spoke for the first time, shocking much of the group further.  
  
"But it's safe to assume Sloane and Derevko have parted ways." Dixon said.  
  
"It could all simply be an elaborate ploy to make us believe they are no longer working together while they slowly gain more of an advantage over us." Kendall countered.  
  
"Has there been any sign of Irina since the attack on her home?" Jack wondered aloud.  
  
"No. It appears she was careless for a few days before moving again. It is safe to say she has once again disappeared." Kendall paused. "Have you received any more of those packages from her Jack?" Jack's eyes could have cut through Kendall had he not been oblivious to the attack.  
  
"I haven't received any for three weeks." Jack said defensively. He hadn't wanted anyone to know Irina had been sending him gifts of the most peculiar nature because they may find out more than they bargained for. Everyone around the table stared shockingly at Jack, he merely ignored them.  
  
"We're likely to see Derevko retaliate if they are in fact working separately and she survived the attack." Kendall stated, closing the subject. "Jack, you have an announcement of sorts." Kendall placed his elbow on the arm rest of his chair and closed his fist.  
  
Jack cleared his throat. "I have recently been promoted to a sub-director position. As there are five of us currently working directly beneath the director, I will be able to continue working from the L.A. office; however, frequent trips to Langley will be needed to maintain the cohesiveness of the organization." Jack took a breath and indicated Kendall. "Agent Kendall will be keeping his position as director in charge of operations in the task force but he will be reporting to me." Kendall nodded in understanding, having already heard this. "That's all." Jack waited for everyone to get the hint to leave.  
  
"Congratulations Jack." Dixon said while rising. He shook Jack's hand generously before leaving. Weiss and Carrie followed Dixon's example but Marshall seemed tongue tied yet again resulting in a half hearted 'what they said' comment and leaving.  
  
"Jack, really this is great." Vaughn smiled and shook his hand as well.  
  
"Yeah Dad, I'm happy for you." Sydney hugged him somewhat awkwardly.  
  
"It doesn't warrant all this attention but thank you. Now if you'll excuse me I have a mandatory vacation to begin." He looked less than pleased with the idea.  
  
"A what?" Sydney's brow furrowed.  
  
"My position as sub-director doesn't begin for another two. The Director felt that the past month has been too stressful and I need a break despite my protestations; suffice it to say my job depends on not entering the office for two weeks."  
  
"Well, don't have too much fun or you might not want to come back." Sydney smiled at her father, reveling in how sarcastic that comment must have sounded to him.  
  
"I'll be sure not to." He replied with an attempt at a smile. Spinning on his heels he left the room as quickly as he airy as he had arrived.  
  
JACK BRISTOW'S HOME - L.A.  
  
The drive home had been one of utter confusion for Jack. His mind carried on a conflicting dialogue all its own and had yet to resolve the problem. The surface thoughts tried to push Irina's face from his mind's eye but residing deeper were images of her hurt or worse. He decided this was yet another way she chose to torment him, cementing his determination to forget about her.  
  
Jack had been in the door only fifteen minutes when he heard the phone ring. He debated whether to answer it or not but his curiosity won out and before long he was reaching for the cordless extension in his living room.  
  
"Bristow." He said into the phone to no reply. "Hello." He tried again but heard nothing again. A huff escaped his lungs as he pulled the phone away from his ear.  
  
"Jack, I need you." A small voice finally spoke.  
  
Please Review (-:  
  
Sorry this took so long, I've been battling some horrific fatigue of late. Not sure what's causing it but I would assume sleep would help, so bye. My boycott was lifted with the flood of responses to my last chapter of Masks Of Time but may return at any time. Mmmmuuuuuhahahahaha. 


	10. Trust Me

Same Disclaimers Apply. A/N: If I just avoid the authors note will anyone notice how long I've been gone..nah of course you won't..I'll just umm.run away now.  
  
**Previously**  
  
JACK BRISTOW'S HOME - L.A.  
  
Jack had been in the door for only fifteen minutes when he heard the phone ring. He debated whether to answer it or not but his curiosity won out and before long he was reaching for the cordless extension in his living room.  
  
"Bristow." He said into the phone to no reply. "Hello." He tried again but heard nothing again. A huff escaped his lungs as he pulled the phone away from his ear.  
  
"Jack, I need you." A small voice finally spoke.  
  
(And now on with the story)  
  
Jack's breath hitched high in his throat. He didn't know whether to feel joy at hearing Irina alive and well talking on the other end of the phone or irritated at her gall. He contemplated putting the receiver back in its cradle but decided to use the opportunity to his advantage.  
  
"Irina, good to know you managed to cheat death once more. I would think you'd have no more soul to sell after the years of death defying acts or was that you didn't have a soul to begin with." Jack's mouth hardened.  
  
"Quite elementary of you Jack, I would have expected something better." Irina paused and thought to try something new. "As I understand it, congratulations are in order."  
  
"Are we back to playing the baby card Irina. I thought I made it very clear that I had no interest in your little games Irina and I want nothing to do with your spawn, although my sympathies are with it."  
  
"Listen to me you idiot. Stop deluding yourself, you're wasting so much energy trying to deny the truth what is that accomplishing Jack?" Neither spoke for a few seconds. "And I was offering my congratulations on your promotion Jack. You deserved it."  
  
Jack closed his eyes in exhaustion. He had jumped to conclusions and had shown his hand too early; the game was becoming too dangerous and reckless. He didn't know what was happening to him but he was not operating like the strategist he was reputed to be.  
  
"Jack?" He heard Irina calling his name on the other end; her voice had lost its edge.  
  
Jack made a split second decision that he realized could quite possibly change his life forever. "Where are you Irina?"  
  
"What?" Irina's surprise didn't deter him.  
  
"You say you need me Irina, where are you?" The resignation in his voice gave Irina hope that he wouldn't turn her in with the information she gave him.  
  
"Syros, Greece." Irina listened to their mingled breathing before speaking again. "Thank you Jack."  
  
Jack nodded his head against the phone as though she could see it and hung up. He set to work making plans to get to Greece without anyone tailing him; trying not to mull over his decision to see Irina.  
  
SYROS, GREECE  
  
Irina had spent an hour after hanging up with Jack staring at the wall in disbelief. She had not anticipated Jack's sudden change in attitude nor was she prepared for what would happen when he arrived. It was a good possibility that he would arrive on the island with a brigade of CIA agents, ready to take her into custody but that was a chance she decided she had to take.  
  
She walked outside onto the edge of the pool deck. She looked out over the cliff the house was built on, into the vast expanse of the sea. Closing her eyes she reveled in the feel of the heat on her skin and the smell of salt water coming from the water meters below. She wanted Jack with her more than anything but she would miss the solitude of the last few months. She had discovered more honesty with herself in the five months she had been away from the absurdity of the intelligence community than during the rest of her life.  
  
VAUGHN'S RESIDENCE - L.A.  
  
Sydney was sitting on the couch reading, waiting for Vaughn to get home from Weiss'. Weiss had invited him over to watch a baseball game, Vaughn wasn't about to turn down the invitation. Sydney had laughed at his excitement and said she had errands to do anyway, so she would see him at home.  
  
Her cell phone rang, startling her from the pages before her. Furrowing her brow, she recognized her father's cell number on the screen.  
  
"Hello." Sydeny pursed her lips with interest.  
  
"Sydney. I'm glad I found you, you weren't answering your phone at home." Jack's voice held a measure of disinterest that Sydney questioned.  
  
"I'm at Vaughn's. My apartment doesn't hold the same appeal it once did." Sydney felt nervous at revealing even the slightest weakness to her father, despite the many times he had seen her cry.  
  
"Understandable. You may think about moving permanently." Jack said seriously.  
  
"Yeah." Sydney bit her lip in concentration. Was there something you needed to talk to me about Dad?" Sydney asked gentle.  
  
"Yes. I was calling to let you know that I would be going out of the country for the next two weeks of my vacation and you likely won't be able to reach me. I'll call you some time next week to check on things at the office." Jack hoped Sydney didn't ask too many questions.  
  
"Alright. Make sure you spend some time relaxing. Where are you going?" Sydney asked.  
  
"Somewhere warm." Was all Jack answered.  
  
"Dad it's almost July in California. It isn't warm enough here for you?" Sydney joked with her father.  
  
"It is not likely I'm going to be able to relax while I'm within a thirty mile radius of the Task Force. So instead of battling the temptation to come into work everyday, I figured I should get away." Jack felt horrible speaking sharply to Sydney but he didn't know of any other way of deterring her interest without raising more questions.  
  
"No Dad, it sounds like a great idea. Just not something I see you doing frequently. Have a nice time and I'll expect your call some time next week." Sydney replied easily.  
  
"Thank you. Don't work too hard yourself and think about finding a new place to live. I hate to see you in limbo for too long. I'll talk to you soon." Jack hit the end button on his cell phone and dropped it into the trashcan at the airport. It wasn't going to be any more use to him.  
  
Sydney dropped her cell phone on the coffee table in the middle of Vaughn's living room and stared at it in wonder before smirking slightly and turning back to heir book. She realized she would likely never figure her father out but that wouldn't stop her from trying.  
  
Please Review (-:  
  
I suppose I have to welcome some arrows considering how long it has been...(whistle) 


	11. Drive Me

Same Disclaimers Apply. A/N: I'm finding it extremely difficult to write lately. I think I have used up any creative energy I had. Everything I write seems like crap, but I suppose its better than nothing. I really like this story but apparently that isn't enough to bring about good ideas. Oh well. Hope you like it.  
  
VAUGHN'S RESIDENCE - L.A.  
  
Sydney was alternating between doing laundry and watching television when Vaughn walked through the door. He went to the kitchen for a drink before looking for Sydney within the walls of the apartment.  
  
"Hey." He grabbed her lips in a quick kiss before taking another sip of his drink.  
  
"Hey. Did you have a good time?" Sydney switched over the laundry.  
  
"If 'good time' entails Weiss yelling at the TV because the team he had bet two hundred dollars on was loosing and me telling him to shut up, than yeah." Vaughn smiled around his water glass.  
  
"Did he lose it?" Sydney turns sideways to glance at Vaughn.  
  
"No thank goodness the Orioles pulled it out in the last two innings." Vaughn leaned against the wall.  
  
"He actually bet on the Orioles!" Sydney shook her head and glanced at him again. "Vaughn, you're sweating."  
  
"I know, its hot outside and apparently this is only the beginning of a long heat wave." As an afterthought," We should try to get to the park this weekend."  
  
"You are the eternal optimist aren't you." Sydney stated laughingly.  
  
"Only where you're concerned." Vaughn grinned.  
  
"It seems my father got out of the city just in time." Her offhanded comment catches Vaughn's attention.  
  
"Your father left the city?" The glass stops before it reaches his lips.  
  
"I assume the country but he wasn't willing to share the location with me and I wasn't going to press." Sydney began loading the washing machine with light and white clothing. "I have given up trying to keep track of my father's dealings. I highly doubt he is even going on a vacation; he's probably gathering his own intel or running an independent mission."  
  
"You think he's looking for Sloane or your mother?" Vaughn's brow furrows in thought.  
  
"Something tells me that he doesn't think Sloane succeeded in killing or capturing my mother, it could mean he is interested in running his own crusade against both of them." Sydney huffed.  
  
"Do you think your mother is dead?" Vaughn ventures to ask her.  
  
"No. But then again I've been wrong more times than I can count where my mother is concerned." Sydney turned back to her laundry.  
  
"Aren't you being a little hard on yourself. Sydney, your mother has an agenda that baffles everyone at the CIA your father included. You put your trust in her and she betrayed you and this government." Vaughn moved next to her so he looked assess her facial expression.  
  
"I know, I know. Sorry I had a moment of self-doubt."  
  
Neither spoke for a few minutes as Sydney finished loading the washing machine and Vaughn looked on in mild amusement.  
  
"What?" Sydney smiled coyly at him from the corner of her eye.  
  
"You." He continued to smile. "You cook dinner for me, do my laundry-"  
  
"Our laundry. I only do yours because I have to do mine." Sydney interrupted.  
  
"Yeah well." Vaughn tilts his head and chuckles. "I've just recently been noticing your tendency to nest."  
  
"Nest? I have a tendency to nest?" Sydney works to contain her laughter.  
  
"Yeah, you know, make the space your own. Clean and organize. I caught you organizing my closet three days ago."  
  
"I was not organizing your closet. I don't know what you're talking about." Sydney denies while she moves away from the laundry facilities.  
  
"Right, while I'm betting if we open my closet doors right now I'd find all of the suits hung from light to dark, for which I take no responsibility. Now unless you have a better explanation." He trails off and grabs her around the waist.  
  
"Do you have a problem with my organizational techniques because I can always redistribute your clothing around our room as you had it earlier this week." Sydney backs away as Vaughn advances.  
  
"My cloths were never strewn about the-" Vaughn raises his eyebrow. "Did you just say OUR bedroom." One side of his face twitches.  
  
Sydney's breathing stops suddenly as she contemplates whether she had in fact utter the word. "I think I did." The wonderment on her face quickly changes to challenge. "Are you scare of having a girl infiltrate your bedroom Michael?"  
  
"No, not at all." He leans on her until she falls backward on the couch and Vaughn lay on top of her. "I happen to love flowers and pink bows." Sydney looks up at Vaughn as he holds himself up on his arms.  
  
"See now you're just trying to be cute. But I do love fresh flowers, for future reference." She raises her eyebrows innocently.  
  
"Of course." He kisses her soundly but pulls away after only a few seconds. "I did notice something else about the closet."  
  
"What's that." Sydney smiles up at him.  
  
"You're going to have to re-organize it if you intend to move all of your things in as well." Vaughn states seriously.  
  
"What do you mean?" Sydney stills.  
  
"I was just thinking that you can't be interested in going back to that apartment and I'm not interested in remembering what its like not to have my laundry taken care of. so to put my mind at ease I thought you would be more than willing to move in here. With me." Vaughn tried to smile over the nervousness edging its way into his stomach.  
  
"I'll have to think about it." Sydney tells him solemnly and Vaughn nods his head. The two stare at each other for moments longer before Sydney bites her bottom lip. "Okay. Lets do it."  
  
The suddenness of her answer leaves Vaughn speechless. Believing he was going to have to wait at least a week before she made her decision, he can only laugh when she gives her answer, before settling down for a leisurely kiss.  
  
SYROS, GREECE  
  
Jack had not been surprised when he arrived in Athens to find that Irina had a private plane available for his use. The desk clerk that had given him the flight number had been surprised to see him upon his arrival at the international airport, he supposed Irina had intended not to get her hopes up; that thought almost caused a bitter laugh to erupt from Jack.  
  
The flight to the island had been quick but bumpy, much to Jack's dismay. Once the pilot had became aware that Jack spoke Greek he had talked non- stop about the changes to the country once it became part of the European Union. Jack responded in all the correct places but would have been unable to recite anything the man had said. The plane finally landed on the island of Syros with little fanfare.  
  
Jack took note of the breeze coming off the water and the sparse hilltops. Everything in Greece during the summer months seemed dry and brown; however Jack spent most of his time travelling the roads anxious over being face to face with Irina again. The pilot had taken him to a car rental where a Mercedes with GPS and a location pre-programmed was waiting.  
  
The drive took approximately twenty minutes with many twist and turns of narrow winding roads, giving Jack something to focus his racing mind on. The insistent female voice directed Jack to turn left 1 kilometer ahead.  
  
He looked onto the front entrance with interest; the driveway was flat despite the house's hillside location with lush, colorful vegetation surrounding it. The house itself was whitewashed with flat roofing, the back portion built in three tiers down the side of the mountain. The house overlooked a beach as well as rock formations that created the horseshoe of the water's inlet.  
  
Taking his time getting out of the car, Jack collected his thoughts. His step faltered toward the door when he realized he had no plan. He was walking blind into a situation that a best would be uncomfortable, such defied all his training and better judgement.  
  
Jack looked down at his creased dressed pants and white shirt and sighed. The heat was taking its toll on his mind and his person but Jack was determined to get the meeting with Irina over with.  
  
He walked to the door and raised his fist to knock. He waited for a response from inside; however when none came, he venture to try the handle. The heavy wooden door opened against the little force he placed on it. Jack stared at the door and pursed his lips at the absurdity of Irina Derevko leaving her front door unlocked. He would have thought she of all people would have better security measures for her home.  
  
Wearily Jack continued into the house. His mind taunting him with reasons for Irina to have no security. The gate to the driveway had been open, as had her front door. It seemed more likely that she had either set Jack up to be kill and/or wasn't in the in the house at all.  
  
Jack walked through the large living room. It was attached to the dining room, separated only by a marble-floored step and thick marble pillars. Each room was meticulous in its tidiness and décor. The marble was an added bonus as the heat could consume the land in the summer.  
  
Jack turned to his right and followed the wide hallways a short distance to the kitchen. It matched the rest of the house in impeccable order; the stainless steel appliances were set against white washed cupboards with glass inset, but his eye was drawn to the large Mahogany table, giving the room a feel of warmth apart from the white.  
  
Four sets of French-doors lined one wall of the living and dining rooms, leading to one tier of patio. The property was fenced by a retaining wall and from the generator to the side of the compound, an electrical fence. With no sign of Irina, Jack climbed the stairs to the second tier of the house. This one had similar doors as below lining the wall and a patio that sat on the roof of a portion of the living room.  
  
Being as quiet and careful as possible, Jack moved toward the large glass doors. Cautiously, he turned the handle and opened the barrier: hopeful the temperate weather of the island would minimize the need for grease. Jack shook his head suddenly at the outlandish realization of the pun. But his humour died as he saw what awaited him in the room.  
  
Please Review (-: 


	12. See Me

Same Disclaimer Applies. Sorry this took so long. No excuse accept I just didn't upload the file.  
  
SYROS, GREECE  
  
Irina's hand cut through the crystal clear water with a practiced ease. Her body lay out in the buoyant liquid with the effort of her arms and legs. Her head ducked into the water and her straight body contorted to execute a somersault turn. Underneath the water her legs connected with the tiled wall and torpedoed her toward the other side of the pool. Her strokes began anew, until she touched the other wall.  
  
Raising herself out of the water to plant her feet on the shallow ended bottom of the pool, Irina attempted to steady her breathing. She grabbed the water bottle from the pool's edge and drank slowly as she exited the water.  
  
She had read recently that excessive running pulls blood away from the forming fetus to concentrate it on the large leg muscles; the study went on to suggest water workouts as a likely alternative for exercise during pregnancy. Once she reached the five month mark she had switched to light weights and water fitness to stay healthy along with the occasional walk to the beach or town.  
  
As she toweled herself off, she savored the heat of the sun as it caressed her body. She considered lounging outside under the clear sky but thought better of it when she remember what she was wearing. The made-for-water sports bra two piece left her stomach exposed to the sun's harsh radiation. Although lathered in sunscreen she wasn't about to risk the radiation passing through the thin layers of epidermis.  
  
After a quick snack of karpouzee, Irina dressed for the day. By the time she had  
  
showered, dressed and haphazardly dried her hair, she was exhausted. Her body begged her to rest and she was all too willing to comply, stretching out across the king sized mattress. She didn't hear a car pull up to the house nor was she aware of footsteps traipsing throughout the room.  
  
Jack stilled his arm on the open door and instead focused on the bed. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he watched the slumbering body reclined atop the mattress. Quickly, Jack swept the rest of the room with his eyes, looking for indicators of Irina's deception, but found none.  
  
Forcing his body to once again take the order to move, Jack gently shut the door and stepped farther into the room. A sharp edge of terror ripped through his calm façade at the prospect of waking the sleeping form. But he was unable to ascertain whether the fear was rooted in Irina's deathly capabilities or the prospect of having to look at her as they spoke.  
  
He had never been more thankful to the inventor of the telephone than he was a month before. It was so much easier to exorcise his hatred for Irina when he didn't have to look right at her. She had a compulsive habit of always seeking out his eyes as they spoke, going back to their forth month dating.  
  
{FLASHBACK}  
  
They had been in the library for the better part of the day, studying for finals before Christmas. Irina had become bored with her work and instead began to watch Jack ponder over his. She fiend reading her Comparative Literature text while keeping her eyes well trained on her companion.  
  
Irina studied his face closely, looking for flaws, something she could focus on when she was with him so that his charm and gentleness didn't sweep her away. As she looked at Jack's face she frowned slightly, realizing something was missing. Her frown continued until Jack looked up.  
  
"What?" He asked.  
  
The moment Jack's eyes rose and encountered her own, she knew she was lost. Her target, her assignment and mark had succeeded in sweeping her off her feet; he managed to make her forget all things KGB. While that left her with a fleeting thought of worry over how her handler would react if he found out, his eyes brought her back to just the two of them.  
  
"What?" She returned in surprise at being caught. She cursed herself for not being more articulate; however her mind was racing a mile a minute trying to catch up to the destination her heart had found months before.  
  
"Laura, you've been watching me for over half an hour. I'd feel less scrutinized if I were a lab experiment. What's going on in that beautiful head of yours." His eyes roved her face but he felt her own eyes desperately trying to catch his.  
  
"Nothing." She said finally, giving up on meeting his eyes again.  
  
"Okay." Jack grinned and dropped his head back to his work. But her eyes didn't leave his form, distracting him from his own work. He pretended to ignore her, thinking she would eventually tell him what was on her mind.  
  
"Jack look at me." He lifted his head again when Laura commanded it. Waiting for her to continue, he calmly stared into her large brown orbs. "I love you." She said without her gaze shifting.  
  
"I know you do." Jack smiled. "I love you too."  
  
"No." She implored. "I mean.....I love you." She said again with complete seriousness.  
  
The two watched each other across the table carefully. Finally Irina's lips began to twitch upward but her eyes stayed trained on his. Jack's own mask of contemplation broke and he too felt his lips twitching. Before either of them knew it they were poorly trying to cover their laughter.  
  
However, Jack's laughter died when he caught a gleam in Laura's eye. Her smile went from playful to sultry in a matter of seconds and before he could comment she was out of her chair. Feeling the eyes of everyone in the library on them, Jack watched self-consciously as Laura strode around the table and placed herself in his lap.  
  
"Laura, what are you doing?" Jack asked quietly.  
  
"I'm just making sure everyone knows I love you." She maintained her smile.  
  
"You could take an ad out in the school newspaper, at least we won't get kicked out of the library for that." He felt her hands travel up his neck and circle it.  
  
"Jack." She said softly.  
  
"Yes." He returned.  
  
"Shut up." She chuckled at his surprise and kissed him passionately. It only took a  
  
moment for him to forget the many other students and professors in the library preparing for finals as he got lost in the taste of Laura's lips.  
  
Before anyone in the library could whistle or make a comment, Irina had pulled herself off Jack's lap and re-claimed her seat across from him. She dropped her head to her books and began the grueling task of studying; however, this time she and Jack were both smiling.  
  
{END FLASHBACK}  
  
Jack stood over the bed Irina currently occupied, wondering for the first time in over thirty years what Irina had been thinking about that day in the university library. She had never actually told him and knowing what he did now it was not a simple 'I love you'.  
  
Startled out of his thoughts, Jack watched Irina shift her position on top of the bed yet remain asleep. He had to control his snicker, he could have easily killed Irina and she still wouldn't have woken while his was in process. The internal snicker turned to confusion, realizing that had he been anyone else Irina would be dead. She was not reacting as a trained spy should; she should have heard his car pulling into the drive, not to mention the time he spent making his way to the bedroom.  
  
A flash of olive skin shattered his line of thought. The movement had twisted Irina's clothing around and left her stomach bare. Jack tempered his quickening of breath with the  
  
tightening of his fist. A sense of dejà vu overtook him as he remember countless times he had watched Irina's stomach while she was pregnant with Sydney.  
  
It was rounded and protruded quite a bit yet she still would have been able to hide it if she were so inclined. His hand reached out of its own accord in an effort to touch what he knew would be soft flesh covering a strangely firm lump. His fingers stretched out and inched closer to their intended target but at the last second Irina moved.  
  
Her heard her groan and shift on the bed. Her breathing changed to indicate her arrival to the conscious world and her eyes fluttered open. With the sun at his back, Jack was sure that he was encased in a shadow, Irina would not be able to see him fully.  
  
He acknowledged how right he was when in one smooth motion she bolted upright in bed and had dragged a knife through his flesh....  
  
Please Review (-: 


	13. Help Me

Same Disclaimer Applies. I have a few more chapters to upload. Sometimes soon.  
  
SYROS, GREECE  
  
Jack jumped back as Irina raised the knife again. "You sure know how to treat your guests Irina." Jack spoke harshly and brought his hand up to cover the bleeding wound.  
  
"Jack." She breathed in relief. "I thought you were someone else." She placed the knife on the bedside table.  
  
"And here I assumed it was Freudian motivation." He bit out.  
  
"You came." She said softly and tilted her head to the side.  
  
"Yes and I continue to be tortured for my efforts." Irina just stared at him with a ghost of a smile. "Do you have something that I can stop the bleeding with or would you rather I stain the floor." He gestured to the clean slice along his forearm slowly spilling blood.  
  
Irina seemed to come back to herself with Jack's words and looked for the first time at the damage she had done. Moving quickly she got off the bed and into the attached bathroom. She returned seconds later with a towel and a first aid box.  
  
"Here, roll up your sleeve and hold this tight to the wound." She said distractedly.  
  
"Yes, I know what to do for a bleeding wound Irina but thanks for the refresher course in both how to receive and care for them." Jack's anger was boiling to the surface.  
  
"Sit down on the bed so I can stitch your arm up." She gestured to the bed while opening the kit.  
  
"If you think I'm going to let you come near me with a needle, you're more insane than people give you credit for." Jack stayed standing as she sat on the side of the bed.  
  
"Jack your cut needs stitches and you cannot give them to yourself with only one hand. Please just sit down and let me do this." Irina looked up at him emphatically.  
  
Jack weighed his options but quickly determined he would indeed need stitches and he would not do a very good job one-handed. Resigning himself to the fact that he would be at Irina's mercy, he sat beside her on the bed.  
  
She nodded her head once at him to acknowledge his choice and set to work preparing the wound. She ran a substance around the outside of the wound before opening the enclosed suture kit.  
  
"What was that?" Jack asked suspiciously.  
  
"It was a surface numbing agent. It isn't great but it will ease some of the discomfort." She told him with her head bent over his arm.  
  
"This is nothing." His words caused her to react as he anticipated as eyes jumped to meet his. He mentally cursed himself for giving her the chance to look directly at him.  
  
She smirked slightly, remembering the night she had spoken identical words but remained silent. Instead her smile left her face to be replaced by a slight frown and she went back to work, slowly closing the wound.  
  
"I'm sorry." The words were spoken so softly, Jack thought he may have missed them.  
  
"Pardon?" He returned without thinking.  
  
"I'm sorry." Irina repeated. "I didn't know it was you and I woke up to find a shadowed figure standing over me. I thought-" she paused, "I don't know what I thought but I didn't mean to hurt you and I'm sorry." She remained focused on her task but was surprised enough to raise her head when Jack spoke.  
  
"I know." He said softly. "If you just wanted to kill me, you wouldn't have gone to all this trouble." His voice held irony. "But the question is: what is it you do want from me?"  
  
Irina didn't utter a word.  
  
"I came here because you asked me to. I didn't bring the CIA and I didn't tell anyone where I was going. I covered my trail so no one will be able to find me. So tell me Irina why did I do all of this and what was so important that you would risk Sloane finding you again?"  
  
Finished wrapping a bandage over the stitches in Jack's arm, Irina stood and returned the first aid kit to the bathroom and called to Jack as she descended the stairs. "Would you like something to eat Jack? I'm hungry."  
  
Jack blinked and followed after her. "There's fruit, or chicken from last night, salad, pasta or" Irina turned from the fridge to see Jack walking into the kitchen. "would you like an omelet?"  
  
"Irina I've never known you to avoid a question outright so I'll ask you again. Why did you want me here?" Jack stood on the opposite side of the kitchen's island from her but his voice carried harshly.  
  
"I think a Greek omelet sounds good don't you? Do you want feta or would you rather something milder." She continued to ignore him and remove items from the fridge.  
  
"Irina!" Jack boomed.  
  
Irina stopped her movements instantly. Her arms rested at her sides and for a split second she looked defeated. Her resolve returned and she lifted her head to look at Jack.  
  
"Truth-" She started.  
  
"If you say 'takes time' I'll kill you myself." Jack spit out.  
  
She faltered under the intense look in Jack's eyes. The times she had met with him while in CIA custody or while they were working together on missions his anger had always had a sense of control to it. Looking at him in front of her now, she realized his control was a thing of the past. He seemed to have lost it after losing her a second time.  
  
"Did someone finally do the world a favour and cut out your tongue?" Jack's shoulders hunched with the effort of containing his fury.  
  
"No. I'm just weighing my options." Irina states evenly. "If I tell you the truth, you'll accuse me of lying and working at a greater evil but if I continue to avoid the question all together your imagination will conjure up a decidedly horrific picture of what the truth could be." She sighed. "I'm trying to determine which one is the lesser evil."  
  
"There is no lesser evil where you're concerned Irina." Jack quipped quickly.  
  
"Okay Jack, but this could take a while." Irina sighed.  
  
"I've got two weeks." Jack assured her.  
  
"Fine. I really am hungry though. I'll talk to you and cook at the same time. Does that meet your standards?" Her anxiousness manifested itself as sarcasm yet only served to make Jack grin.  
  
"As long as you don't put crush glass or arsenic in mine I suppose it's acceptable." Jack's return to a straight face, made Irina wonder if he was kidding or not.  
  
"Sit." She pointed to the stools on the other side of the island with a knife. "You lost a fair amount of blood." Jack subtly rolled his eyes but obeyed the order.  
  
"Where do you want me to start?" She asked.  
  
"With you turning yourself into the CIA." Irina nodded in understanding.  
  
"I wasn't exactly truthful with Sydney when I came to see her in L.A. last month." Irina paused giving Jack the opportunity to scoff at her words.  
  
Irina glared but let it pass as she continued with her story. "I told Sydney I knew I was going to betray the CIA when I turned myself in but in fact I wasn't sure I would have to." Irina kept her head down as she chopped vegetables for the omelets. "I was aware of Sloane's plan to set the Alliance up to be destroyed but I thought the CIA would be able to take him in at the same time, rendering my plan inconsequential."  
  
"And when Sloane disappeared with the fall of the Alliance?" Jack prompted.  
  
"Knowing my time in CIA custody was limited, I encouraged Sydney to leave. I thought at least that way it wouldn't be as difficult for her when I had to." Irina paused again. "Rambaldi's works were never meant to be reassembled, especially by someone like Sloane. There was a reason the pieces were scattered around the world; the artifacts and manuscripts were never to be discovered, it could only be to the detriment of everyone involved." She sighs in resignation of the truth and shakes her head. "It would be to the detriment of Sydney and me."  
  
"So you were trying to protect yourself." Jack shifted in his seat at the counter.  
  
"Rambaldi was not a prophet Jack. He was a scientist and philosopher, someone who didn't believe in the natural order of the universe and set out on a mission to reorder it. Nothing that man wrote about should be believed with any amount of credibility yet there are those that were willing to believe, those willing to tirelessly seek out the answers. The answers, Jack, would destroy Sydney and myself. Even your own government was convinced Sydney was the key to the great destruction Rambaldi prophesied." Irina alternated between watching the knife she was wielding and Jack.  
  
"So how do you account for all of the events Rambaldi has predicted accurately, hundreds of years after his time? Or the DNA sequences he details in his works?" Jack's eyes followed Irina's movements carefully.  
  
"I don't. I can't tell you how he did it and quite frankly I don't care. I lost five years Jack. Five years to Rambaldi's words, I'm not about to lose any more. I wasn't going to let Sydney's life be ruled by a man long dead. Whether he wrote about either of us is not important, what is, is getting rid of all things Rambaldi. It has been my mission for the last fourteen years Jack, the only one."  
  
"So, when you turned yourself into the CIA?" Jack raised an eyebrow.  
  
"My cover as 'The Man' had been made. I couldn't risk my safety with Sloane so eagerly seeking Rambaldi's message; he would have killed me if he thought I was standing in his way. I had to devise a plan where I would be indebted to him, so he would not question my loyalty so blatantly. Before I turned myself in, I destroyed all of my artifacts."  
  
"But Sark bartered with some of the pieces while you were in CIA custody. And I am confident Sloane inspected each one upon the incursion of your partnership." Jack said with indifference.  
  
"I used a master forger to recreate copies of the artifacts. So precise, Sloane would not have known the difference, Rambaldi may not have been able to distinguish between the forgeries and the authentic items." Irina's back turned to Jack as she began working with the cook top.  
  
"So you needed Sloane to break you out of CIA custody in order to make it appear as though you were indebted to him and ensure your standing as his 'trusted accomplice'. I suppose seeing Sydney and I again was all a means to end for you." Jack's hard response succeeded in turning Irina back to face him.  
  
"Nothing about my relationship with either of you is a means to end. Is that what you felt when you were distracting me from noticing the tracker you implanted in Panama? That I was a means to an end?" Irina meant it as a rhetorical question and was stunned silent when Jack answered.  
  
"Yes. That is exactly how I saw it." Jack almost admitted his mistruth when he saw Irina flinch subtlety. "What exactly did you accomplish while working with Sloane? He has built whatever it was he has been striving for and you dropped off the radar."  
  
"Sloane built a piece of junk. When I departed from Mexico City, I did so with half of the Rambaldi pieces and manuscripts."  
  
"But half of collected items were counterfeit." Jack furrowed his brow.  
  
"My half were counterfeit. That is why I obtained Sloane's half." Jack watched as her smile radiated within the room. He couldn't even remember the last time he had seen her smile like that. Well, he could but he did his very best to forget about all things Panama.  
  
"What did you do with the pieces acquired from Sloane?" Jack leaned back in his chair.  
  
"Some of them were comprised of precious stones and metals. I dismantled and sold those and destroyed the rest of the collection. I believe it was the sale of the stones that led Sloane to my home in Russia; however it could have been my interaction with you."  
  
Irina finished making the omelets and placed them neatly on two plates. She grabbed two glasses as well as milk and juice from the refrigerator.  
  
"Sorry, I don't have coffee in the house to offer you, I figured it was better I didn't tempt myself." She sat along side Jack at the kitchen island.  
  
"How would Sloane track your movements through me?" Jack asked as he looked at his food speculatively.  
  
Irina rolled her eyes at him, so he quickly put a fork-full in his mouth. "Sloane has his people watching you and Sydney." Jack looked sharply at her but didn't seem all that surprised. "He has one operative who oversees the L.A. surveillance as well as my own. But Sloane doesn't have his loyalty." Irina indulged in a small smile. "It seems a trend with Sloane. He isn't one to inspire devotion."  
  
"Emily didn't think so." Jack commented.  
  
Irina looked down into her plate of food and sighed. Emily's death had been difficult to deal with, especially knowing that had she pushed a little more, move faster with her plan that she may still be alive today.  
  
"What? What is it?" Jack asked upon listening to the extended silence.  
  
"Emily shouldn't have died. I should have been able to stop it from happening. Sloane and I should have arranged to meet somewhere else. If we had, she would still be alive today." Irina's tone suddenly sound haggard and melancholy.  
  
"You can't seriously believe that Irina." Jack said incredulously. "You're right that what happened to Emily shouldn't have, it was a dreadful accident but it was in no way you're fault. Sloane was responsible for putting his wife in danger and she made the decision to run with him. She was a good friend to both of us but that doesn't mean we could have prevented her death." Jack almost shook his head at the absurdity of Irina's words.  
  
"Spoken like a man acclimatized to feelings of guilt." Irina looked at him with meaning. Jack ignored her comment; he was not about to have a discussion with Irina Derevko about his psyche. "I only say that because I've noticed a trend amongst those in our family. Sydney seems to feel the spinning of the earth is dependent solely on her."  
  
Jack shared a looked of understanding with her, recognizing the truth to her words. "It would seem a genetic trait she was doom to inherit." Irina gave him a small smile with sadness etched around the corners. "Am I right in assuming you have someone working in Sloane's organization?" Jack took another bite of his meal.  
  
"Yes. I've none Darius for many years. I consider him a close friend and confidant." Irina implored.  
  
"How close are you and Darius?" Jack's gaze rested heavily on Irina but broke away abruptly when her head turned to return the look.  
  
"Darius and his wife are like family to me; I'm their oldest son's godmother." Irina smiled slyly, knowing she had succeeded in making Jack Bristow jealous.  
  
"Family." Jack let the word roll around in his mouth. "They've been subject to your murderous betrayals then." His eyes held hers, hoping his attack would make her forget the momentary appearance of emotion.  
  
"You're an ass Jack." She stated it so matter-of-factly, Jack wondered if he had actually been insulted or not.  
  
"Only with you." Neither spoke for some time, instead getting lost in their food. "Does Sloane know the pieces he has in his collection are fakes?" His question was spoken while he looked straight ahead.  
  
"You and Sydney wouldn't be alive if he knew what I had done." She tilted her head and continued when she noticed the confusion on his face. "Sloane can't find me but he knows where you and Sydney are; you're accessible to him. He would believe, if he killed you it would draw me out, looking for revenge."  
  
"Sloane is quite aware that our relationship was a matter of convenience for you. What would he possible have to gain from hurting Sydney and I?"  
  
"Because I would have avenged any act of violence against you and Sydney. I've done it before." Irina got up from the counter and took the two empty plates to the dishwasher.  
  
Jack filed away the last piece of information she had imparted for later, instead focused on the former. "You would have." He said carefully. "Arvin's ploy would no longer work?" His voice held no sentiment.  
  
"When I was alone these past twenty years I did anything I wanted, whenever I wanted, to the point of recklessness. I don't have the luxury of going into a situation half-cocked anymore." She glanced down at the slightly visible lump under her clothing.  
  
Jack's head jerked up and down in a quick nod, acknowledging his understanding. "Sloane will have to be dealt with before he can find out the truth about the Rambaldi items." Jack's eyes became distant as his mind executed scenarios resulting in the capture of Arvin Sloane.  
  
"Do you have anymore questions?" Irina leaned her back against the granite countertop, with her arms crossed across her chest. Jack wondered if she was aware of how defensive the position was.  
  
"If you were effectively slowing Sloane down while working with him, why leave?" Jack shifted in his seat, trying to find a more comfortable position.  
  
"When I left CIA custody, I wasn't working within any time constraints. I wrongly assumed I could destroy Sloane completely while I worked with him. I didn't exactly factor in my current situation." Irina forced an ironic smile.  
  
"You mean your pregnancy." Jack almost hit himself for stating the obvious. There were times when he felt like the biggest lout in Irina's company.  
  
"Our child's impeding birth was not information I wanted Arvin to acquire. I left when it became too difficult to hide." Smoothing her palms over her shirt, her stomach took greater shape. The sight was enough to make Jack ignore her use of the word 'our'. "So that's it Jack. That's the extent of what I've been doing for the past year."  
  
Irina pushed off the counter and walked into the living room. Jack followed quickly behind, watching as she dropped herself onto the sofa in the middle of the room. Tilting her head against the back of the cushions, she felt the air shift as Jack completed the walk to the piece of furniture she occupied and sat at the far end.  
  
"If that is everything for now I'm going to-" Jack cut her off.  
  
"Tell me about Kashmir."  
  
His words, spoken evenly, forced her eyes open. Irina felt her breath catch in her throat and her heart stop beating. The chill running up her spine contrasted the heat of the island so greatly; she thought she may be going into shock.  
  
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	14. Tell Me

Same Disclaimer Applies. I have a few more chapters to upload. Sometimes soon.  
  
SYROS, GREECE  
  
"What do you mean?" Irina's caution filtered into her query.  
  
"While we were in Kashmir, you made a concerted effort to inform Sydney and I of your status as prisoner while in the compound. But then conveniently changed the subject; you didn't expect me to let the issue lie." Jack paused, trying to read her expression.  
  
"There's nothing to tell Jack." She insisted  
  
"Why were you there? How long were you there? Whether you believe it or not, I would like to better understand what happened to you during the twenties years you were gone."  
  
"That may be true but there is nothing I wish to discuss." Irina turned away from him.  
  
"What happened to the woman willing to divulge her innermost secrets to me?" Jack's accusation served to irritate Irina's last nerve.  
  
Jack's arrival had already put her on edge, his comment and subsequent impatience over Kashmir did nothing to calm her anxiety.  
  
"THAT woman is sick of sitting here trying to convince you of something you never intended to contemplate." Irina's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing here Jack? I'm quite aware you don't believe a word that escapes my mouth. Not that I'm carrying your child, not my reasons for turning myself into your agency. So now I'm left to ponder what you expect to get out of this little visit. What is it? A set up? Did you intend to come here and lull me into a false sense of security, before the CIA swoops in and takes me back to my cage? Or do you have other plans for me? Torture that's a little more personal maybe?" Irina stood. "I don't need your bullshit Jonathan. Whatever revenge you were planning will have to wait another day because I am not going to be mistaken for the fool you were thirty years ago. You are such a gullible simpleton Jack but I do thank you. Every time I need a good laugh, I just remember how easy it was to get you to invest everything in me. You made it almost too easy, I actually felt slightly guilty for accepting all the accolades from my superiors at the KGB." Irina scoffs.  
  
"It's pretty effortless to see now why your parents avoided you, why Sydney doesn't want anything to do with you. You have nothing to offer Jack. You're just a lonely pathetic excuse of a man who had no one to see on his time off other than a woman who was forced to interact with you; who would rather be anywhere but in your presence." Before Jack could form a coherent thought, Irina was out the door and starting her car.  
  
Jack sat stock still on the sofa, trying desperately to keep the bile from rising into his throat. He didn't know what he had expected when he asked her to tell him about Kashmir but it certainly had not been the tirade his name had been prominent in.  
  
The walls of the house began closing in on him. He tried in vain to make himself believe he had known how Irina had felt about him before he came but his brain refused to stop playing her words back to him. Each one cutting him deeper than the first.  
  
Jack rose suddenly from the couch and purposefully walked into the kitchen, looking for anything alcoholic. He found a decanter of Scotch and poured himself a glass. He snickered as he realized Scotch was the drink he gravitated to the first time Irina had breezed through his life.  
  
One glass turned into two, then three. The third, Jack took with him out of the kitchen. His steps, foggy from hurt opposed to the alcohol, took him to the interior of Irina's room. He looked around with dulled fascination, consuming the last of the amber liquid. The room was immaculate, everything seemed placed with purpose. Before he could check his impulse, his glass was hurled across the room. Its contact with the wall eased the tension from his shoulders.  
  
He stood on the threshold of greater understanding with obvious reservations. He wasn't sure if it was worth the pain of garnering an understanding of Irina. His restless gaze danced over the ruins of his glass before stopping at the chest of drawers pushed against the wall. Jack lumbered over and wrenched open one of the drawers; rifling through the cloths inside. Without noticing, his hand connected with a button on the top of one of the drawers, pulling the unit away from the wall. The gap exposed a locked compartment in the wall that Jack set about opening.  
  
ARIAMOPOLIS, SYROS  
  
Irina parked her convertible by the port and slammed her car door. She stalked to the centre of the waterfront town, without paying much attention to where she was going. Her keys bit sharply into the tender flesh of her hands but the pain was numbed by the thundering of her thoughts. Her two- inch single strapped heals clicked harshly against the bottom of her feet with every impatient step.  
  
Jack.  
  
Such a simple name her mind screamed at her, yet nothing was simple about the man who answered to it. With thoughts hyper-focused on Jack, she wondered, not for the first time, why she asked him to come to her.  
  
That arrogant son-of-a-bitch, Irina gritted her teeth as Jack's image appeared in her mind's eye. Her shoulders tightened and her stride elongated in anger. No one had been able to throw her off her game as quickly or as efficiently as Jack but that was what drew her to him. Wasn't it?  
  
She had a sudden urge to smack some sense into her own head. Blowing her cool at Jack was not how she anticipated their meeting. She didn't know what had come over her; Jack's question had created a fear in her, she hadn't experienced since she was a young girl.  
  
Despite the uncharacteristic flare of temper, Irina refused to believe hormones were the culprits. Jack would have blamed the hormones.  
  
{FLASHBACK}  
  
The air was crisp and still for a winter evening in DC. The city had yet to see a large snowfall for the year but signs of winter were everywhere. Irina glanced out the window as the last vestiges of sunlight ducked under the horizon. Her day had been long, nevertheless her activities were fulfilling. As both a PhD student and T.A. for Professor Goode, she looked forward to the break Christmas would bring. First, though, she would have to finish marking the first year student's exams.  
  
Her body ached from sitting so long at the kitchen table, though her determination to finish marking the last two papers kept her sedentary.  
  
Just as she was writing the mark on the second last exam, she heard Jack coming through the door.  
  
"Laura!" He called, upon depositing his briefcase and coat at the door.  
  
"Kitchen." She returned.  
  
Jack smiled at the sight of his wife seated at the table, ensconced by marked papers. He dipped his head to kiss her on his way to the fridge.  
  
"How was your day?" Jack asked.  
  
"Long." Was all she answered. It should have been Jack's first clue to her mood but it went unnoticed.  
  
"I guess we'll go out for dinner tonight, unless you've got something in mind for dinner." Jack leaned against the counter with his glass of water and surveyed the empty countertops. He almost spilled his water when Irina turned suddenly.  
  
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!?" It took all his effort to contain his wince at her shrill tone. "I was at school all day. I had a meeting with my professor and two tutorials to run. When I did come home, I paused only long enough to breathe before I began marking. Of course that was when I wasn't trying to calm my stomach because your child doesn't seem to understand the concept to MORNING sickness." She stood and threw her pen on the table where it bounced once and landed on the floor.  
  
"Why don't you get your lazy ass in gear and make yourself something for dinner or is it too much for your mind to comprehend. You're a bastard Jonathan Bristow, an insensitive arrogant bastard. I don't know why the hell I even married you." Irina walked out of the kitchen with Jack hot on her heels.  
  
"Laura, I think you should lie down for a little while. You're hormones are probably all over the map." Jack tried to placate her.  
  
She spun to face him, pointing her finger. "Don't belittle my feelings you idiot. You do whatever the hell you want for dinner, I've got to get out of here." Irina grabbed her coat from the hanger and flew out the door. Shocked, Jack merely watched in confusion.  
  
Irina remembered that day vividly. She had walked the neighborhood for an hour before returning to the house to apologize to Jack. He had prepared a meal with light and mild foods for her uneasy stomach and greeted her with a smile.  
  
He had taken her coat and led her into the kitchen without a word. She had been too stunned to argue as he sat her at the dinner table.  
  
"What's going on Jack?" She eyed him carefully.  
  
"I just wanted to make sure you had something to eat when you came home." He sat across from her.  
  
"Jack, I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier, I don't know what came over me." She dropped her head, embarrassed.  
  
"I'm not going to pretend to understand why you said the things you did but you obviously needed to blow off some steam." Jack took her hand reassuringly.  
  
"Thank you Jack. You're amazing. I'm sorry you have to live with a neurotic pregnant woman for the next five months." Irina smiled at him, surprised at Jack's ability to forgive her and put her at ease.  
  
"Let's eat, then we'll relax a bit, both our work can wait." Jack smiled warmly at his wife who returned it.  
  
{END FLASHBACK}  
  
The busy streets brought Irina back to herself. She stopped at the corner of the sidewalk and took a deep breath. She shook her head and sighed at her attitude. Her mother had told her as a young girl, speaking before she thought was a recipe for disaster.  
  
Irina swallowed the lump forming in the back of her throat when she realized Jack would be gone when she returned to the house and she would have to find somewhere else to live. Her chest constricted painfully when she envisioned of Jack's departure. She had accomplished nothing with her outburst, if anything; she had made the situation worse.  
  
Her goal had been to earn Jack's trust, to prove she hadn't been lying everyday of their marriage. She wanted him to get to know the real her. The woman who had worked hard as a child, had a slightly checkered passed but still loved him completely. None of that made a difference now as she had lost her last chance with Jack.  
  
Tears tickled at her eyes, thinking of the baby she had condemned today. Her child would grow up without a father, if they survived that long; the thought chilled Irina with its accuracy.  
  
"Dekinas. [Hello, how are you?]" Irina turned to find an older woman speaking to her in Greek.  
  
"Kala. [I'm fine thank you]" She answered the woman.  
  
"You speak English Kukla?" The woman asked her with a heavy accent.  
  
"Yes, I do." Irina tried a smile.  
  
"You don't look fine Kukla. Elethome Kathome. [Come Here and sit]" She ordered.  
  
"I suppose I'm not, but it's nothing I can't handle." Irina said simply.  
  
"Sometimes we forget we don't need to handle everything on our own. Share with others your pain, your experiences. They'll appreciate it as much as you will." The older woman patted Irina's leg.  
  
"Thank you. That is very kind but I have driven away the only person I could share things with." Irina's shoulders sagged.  
  
"You take care of the little one and yourself. And don't worry I'm sure it isn't as bad as it seems." The woman got up and moved away.  
  
"You have no idea how bad it-" She stopped herself. "Wait, how did you know that I was..." Irina trailed off when she realized the woman was no longer visible.  
  
Knowing nothing was waiting for her at home, she decided to take advantage of the shopping in the town. Immersing herself in an assortment of cloths and shoes, Irina purged thoughts of Jack from the deepest recesses of her mind.  
  
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	15. Beat Me

Same Disclaimer Applies. I have been way too busy this past week and am sure to be for the next three weeks. Hopefully I'll have time to write more than I already have. Don't forget to review if you want to, never turn down the feedback.  
  
BOGOTA, COLUMBIA  
  
Sloane's office relished in the shade the tinted windows bestowed in difference to the mid day sun and its heat. His lower back protested at the position he had been sitting in all morning. The expensive orthopedic chair was obviously flawed. He shifted for the forth time in as many minutes before giving up and walking to the small wet bar on the other side of the room.  
  
The Brandi he sipped lit a fire down is throat, emptying into stomach, clearing his thoughts like nothing else. He was tired of the perpetual failure of his people to find Irina. He had never been exceedingly impressed with her intelligence or skill. In fact, he thought her talents to be highly overrated and generic. Of course he discounted her ability to fool both he and Jack as the entire thing had been orchestrated, not by her, but the KGB.  
  
Sloane made his way back over to his desk; looking at his chair distastefully, he remained standing.  
  
"Has Mr. Larkin arrived?" He asked into his phone.  
  
"Yes Sir he just did." A voice replied.  
  
"Send him right in please."  
  
Moments later the door to the office opened to admit an expressionless Darius Larkin. Sloane indicated the chair in front of the desk and watched his employee sit stiffly.  
  
"Mr. Larkin, what is the nature of your job?" Sloane asked easily.  
  
"I find Irina Derevko and maintain surveillance on the Los Angeles prospects." He responded.  
  
"You've been unsuccessful in your endeavors to find Derevko; however, I feel I have been very understanding where your persistent failures are concerned. But I do not take kindly to prospects being reported missing and unaccounted for." Sloane walked toward the seated man.  
  
"So you can imagine my frustration when your report crossed my desk this morning. Your team has lost Jack Bristow. Is my understanding that he disappeared, nowhere to be found, correct Mr. Larkin?" Sloane sat on the edge of the desk with unassuming grace.  
  
"It is Sir. We lost track of Bristow, his evasion tactics are highly involved." Larkin's demeanor didn't change.  
  
"It's called CIA training Mr. Larkin." Sloane's lips formed the words bitterly. "You don't rattle very easily Mr. Larkin, which is why I hired you. However, should you fail to find Jack Bristow I'll not only make sure you rattle, I'll break you myself."  
  
Sloane returned to the windows at the side of the room, signaling Larkin's moment to exit. Time dragged on while Sloane watched the sun move further away from the center of the sky. Thoughts flooded his mind as he tried to pick the perfect solution to his problem.  
  
OUTDOOR BASKETBALL COURT – L.A.  
  
"D-up, D-up."  
  
"Watch the pick."  
  
"Shot!"  
  
"Off the boards. Off the boards, rebound."  
  
"Yo man, double dribble."  
  
"What? That was so not a double dribble." Vaughn said indignantly.  
  
Weiss threw his hands up. "Come on, you guys saw that." He turned to the other CIA personnel playing with them, including the newly healed Will Tippin.  
  
"Hey guys, John, Chris and Rod have to get home and Bartley, Keats and I have to be back at work. See you next week." Vaughn palmed the ball, watching the guys leave the court.  
  
"You totally double dribbled." Weiss jabs at Vaughn.  
  
"Weiss, shut up." Vaughn chucked the ball at him and grinned.  
  
"Hey, thanks for inviting me out. Is this like a weekly thing?" Will asked around a mouthful of water.  
  
"We try to get out once a week but sometimes work gets in the way." Vaughn told him.  
  
"Or Mike's hockey." Weiss quipped.  
  
"Let's shoot the ball around before we call it a day." Vaughn steps back out onto the court. "That's if you two don't have anything else to do."  
  
"Well, as a matter of fact, I have a date." Weiss announced.  
  
"No kidding." Vaughn raised his eyebrows as Will got the rebound.  
  
"Yeah, you better watch out, you're not the cute one anymore." Will and Vaughn both stared at him. "She's a real woman." He received not response. "Her name is Sarah, she's pretty; she's a make-up artist." Neither Vaughn nor Will utter a word. "Oh, common guys, we live in L.A. it's not like many of the good looking people aren't in entertainment."  
  
"Yeah, hey she sounds cool. Good for you buddy." Will patted Weiss on the shoulder and walked in the other direction."  
  
Weiss turned and called after him. "She's real; I'm not making her up."  
  
"Maybe she'll give you a drawer." Vaughn said as he passed Weiss on the way to their bags.  
  
"Ha, funny. Speaking of which, how's the move going? You decided when you're going to get the nerve up to ask her to marry you?" Weiss caught the ball chucked at his head.  
  
"Seriously, you're thinking of proposing to Syd?" Will's surprise lit his eyes.  
  
"I haven't said anything about marriage and neither has Sydney. We haven't entered a race to the alter that I know of; we're taking it slow and becoming comfortable with each other. I can see eventually asking, just not in the immediate future." Vaughn shot Weiss a glare.  
  
"Seemed pretty comfortable to me." Weiss returned.  
  
"Really Weiss, shut up." Vaughn shook his head.  
  
"Well, I think it's great. Sydney's really happy." Will declared then added. "Which makes me happy cause I don't have to kick your ass."  
  
"Thanks." Vaughn cracked a smile. "Do you have anywhere to be Will?" He asked.  
  
"Umm, yeah, I have a date too." Will looked at them over his water-bottle.  
  
"Really." Weiss' comment was colored with minor shock. He was surprised Will would be interested in dating a mere month after the ordeal with Francie.  
  
"Yeah....no." Will shrugged. "My sister's forcing me to watch movies with her. Apparently I'm still recovering." He laughed at himself.  
  
"Is she hot?" Weiss asked nonchalantly.  
  
"I thought you had a date." Vaughn accused.  
  
"Always good to have a back up plan." Weiss informed.  
  
"Hey man, that's my sister." Will's mock indignation drew chuckles from the other two.  
  
"So, what are you and our resident spy-girl doing tonight?" Weiss dropped the ball into his bag and zipped it up.  
  
"I'm thinking of taking her to dinner, assuming she wants to go out." Vaughn wiped his face with the hem of his t-shirt.  
  
"Oh Michael, you're such a romantic." Weiss teased.  
  
"Weiss-" Vaughn was interrupted.  
  
"Yeah, I know, 'shut up Weiss'." Weiss mocked.  
  
"I'd better go before my sister decides I'm dead in a gutter somewhere. Later kids." Will waved and walked to his car.  
  
"Later Will." "See ya Will." Vaughn and Weiss chimed simultaneously.  
  
PATIO- L.A. RESTAURANT  
  
"The evenings are so much nicer than the days. At least you get a break from the sun. I don't know how you guys played basketball this afternoon." Sydney began the conversation once she and Vaughn were seated at their table.  
  
"There is something about challenging the heat of the day that makes the game more fun." Vaughn answered truthfully.  
  
Sydney rolled her eyes. "Did you speak to Kendall today?" She changed topics absentmindedly.  
  
"Only when I went to check in at the office this morning. I turned my pager off after I left the building. There's talk of a situation brewing in Jakarta. The laborers are preparing another uprising; Langley is trying to decide how to approach the problem without getting their hands dirty." Vaughn fidgeted with his napkin.  
  
"Aren't they always looking to keep themselves from appearing in the equation." Sydney stated with a tone of irony.  
  
"Anyway, Kendall seemed pissed."  
  
"Kendall always seems pissed." Sydney smiled.  
  
Vaughn chuckled. "He was muttering about it being a bad time for your father to take a vacation."  
  
"The vacation was forced on him; to be honest I'm surprised he couldn't talk them out of that particular stipulation of his promotion." Sydney's expression became thoughtful.  
  
"Maybe he needed it. He has been slightly distracted lately." Vaughn tried to shed light on the bazaar behaviour.  
  
"That's what worries me. He kind of just checked out of life. I have a feeling this has something to do with my mother but I can't seem to piece it all together." Sydney gently touched her wine glass.  
  
"Why do you say that?" Vaughn leaned forward with interest.  
  
"He was receiving gifts from my mother a month ago. He had Marshall trying to uncover anything anomalous about them but he couldn't find anything. And then when Kendall told us about the action Sloane executed against my mother my father seemed actually worry." Sydney's eyes widened with the inflection in her voice.  
  
"I didn't notice anything." Vaughn's forehead creased.  
  
"He was gripping the chair's arms so hard I thought he would leave with them." Sydney's hands gestured emphatically in front of her. "But beyond that, there is just something in his eyes and voice that has my mother's name written all over this." Sydney shook her head in exasperation.  
  
"Your father is a big boy Syd. He can take care of himself." Vaughn held her hand reassuringly.  
  
"You don't understand Vaughn. It's not just my Dad; my parents lose their rational thought when they're together. If my father is as distracted as I think, my mother is likely facing the same problem." The two were oblivious to the activity around them, their table becoming its own island amidst the chaos of the restaurant.  
  
"Which makes them a perfect target for Sloane." Vaughn concluded.  
  
"Don't get me wrong, I want my mother to pay for everything she has done; for betraying this country, but I can't say with certainty I want to see her dead anymore, she helped us find my dad and she gave us Sark. And Arvin Sloane is not going to be responsible for bringing my mother to justice. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction." The last words were venomous.  
  
"Then I suppose we have our work cut out for us." Vaughn almost laughed at the befuddled air Sydney exuded. "We'll just have to find your mom before Sloane does which doesn't promise to be an easy task."  
  
The couple smiled at each other before Vaughn broke the silence. "So tell me about your day."  
  
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	16. Hear Me

Same Disclaimer Applies. The next few chapters have been written for a while but I go caught without the saved file for a while. I promise to update sooner next time...that is if anyone would like my too (evil smirk). Hope you like it.  
  
CIA JOINT TASK FORCE CENTRE – L.A.  
  
Marshall was quite happy in his new office. The CIA had finally given him his own area to work after he explained to them that he was more productive away from large groups of people. His music was pulsing from small speakers around the room, making him oblivious to the arrival of Kendall.  
  
"Where the hell is Jack Bristow!" Kendall boomed, startling Marshall from his computer screen.  
  
"Oh Mr. Kendall Sir, I didn't see you there." Marshall yelled over the noise. "Can I do something for you?" He continued.  
  
"Yeah, for starters you can turn off that music." Kendall scowled and the music dissipated. "Now you can tell me where the hell Bristow is."  
  
"Ummm Sir, isn't he supposed to be on vacation. I mean the Director ordered him to take a short vacation then he would return and be the boss, not that you aren't also the boss. Actually that was something I've been meaning to ask you, who do I report to? I mean do I give reports to both of you or do I just go right to Mr. Bristow? Cause I've been thinking that maybe-"  
  
"Mr. Flinkman, I sure hope you're going to tell me where Jack is sometime between today and the end of your life." Kendall loomed over the smaller man.  
  
"Well, do you need him to come in? Or um-" Marshall faltered.  
  
"I just need to talk to him." Kendall calmed slightly.  
  
"Well, why don't you just call him?" Marshall said innocently.  
  
"Well, gee why didn't I think of that?" Kendall grimaced. "He isn't answering his cell; can you tell me where he is?"  
  
Marshall turned back to his computer and pulled up a program. "The CIA has this really cool new program that allows us to track the cell phones of their employees by the received signal. All you have to do is call Mr. Bristow's cell phone and I should get a hit on the location." Marshall indicated the phone to his left. Kendall dialed the number and immediately a blip appeared on the screen.  
  
"Where is he?" Kendall held the phone away from his ear as it continued to ring.  
  
"Well, he's on his way north of L.A. Wait, he's stopped." Marshall glanced at the stationary location and cross referenced it with landmarks. "He's at a landfill. What is he doing at a landfill?" Marshall turned to a fuming Kendall and flinched.  
  
"That son of a bitch got rid of his phone. Okay Jack, you want to disappear? Have fun while you can. I'll make you sure you're life is hell when you get back, just wait for the paperwork that is going to pass your desk." Kendall ignored Marshall and stormed toward the door, almost bowling over Dixon.  
  
"What was he so worked up about?" Dixon raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Mr. Bristow dropped his cell in the garbage so the CIA couldn't get in touch with him while he's away." Marshall seemed to relax with Kendall's departure.  
  
"Good for Jack." Dixon smiled indulgently. "I think Kendall needed a reminder of just who he was working with." A glint of humour and satisfaction ran across Dixon's eyes.  
  
"What is Mr. Bristow capable of?" The intrigue in Marshall's voice lit the mischief in Dixon's eyes further.  
  
"Anything and Everything, Marshall. And don't forget it." Marshall watched with interest as Dixon left the office with mirth playing on his face.  
  
SYROS, GREECE  
  
Irina felt a chill run through her upon entering the house. The sun hadn't escaped the sky yet but the shivers she was experiencing motivated her to turn the air conditioning down. The hunger her body had ached with abated as soon as she had noticed the absence of Jack's car.  
  
Regret rippled through every inch of her being, wishing Jack were still there to hear her apology. Defeat claimed her flawless posture; her shoulders slumped and her head stooped under the weight of her failure.  
  
Deciding her bags were first priority, Irina ascended the stairs and walked the few feet to deposit them in her room. Shadows were cast at odd angles in the large space, heightening the ominous sensation piercing her consciousness.  
  
At first glance it appeared as though the bed was checkered in the sun's blotchy light; however as Irina inspected the surface further the contents of her safe became visible. Pictures of Sydney at various ages, files from SD-6 and the CIA on her daughter as well as Jack, littered the bed. Irina spied her own dated file from the KGB, and the video tape that went with it. To finish off the pile, sonogram pictures, the amnio results and the DVD she had made of the baby in-utero, were on the pillows.  
  
The regretful calm that had settled over Irina vanished at the blatant intrusion of privacy. Stalking to the bed, she began piling all of the documents and photos together. As she reached for one of the files she caught sight of Jack's ripped and blood stained shirt lying beside the bed.  
  
Irina's head snapped up with interest. Her gaze perused the room, falling on the small bag beside one of the chairs. Eyes narrowing, Irina advanced on the glass doors leading to the upper level patio. She wrenched open the door and flew down the outdoor stairs.  
  
She stopped short at the bottom as she took in the sight of Jack standing at the retaining wall, looking out over the sea below. He had changed his shirt, although they looked identical in style. Irina's ire rose, remembering the pain he had cause, making her believing he had left followed by his bold intrusion into her affairs. She sent a silent prayer up, hoping he had not watched the video that accompanied her file from the KGB.  
  
"You son of a bitch! You had no right!" She barked as she advanced on him.  
  
Jack turned slowly and watched her with smug appreciation. "I assure you, I happened upon your safe, purely by accident. It was my understanding that you had arranged our little rendezvous to disclose the truth of your- no pardon me – OUR past. When you became less than forthright with the information I felt I had a certain authorization."  
  
The answer did not cool the wild look in Irina's eyes. "What the hell kind of explanation was that? I can't believe I was regretting what I said; that I was scared you had left. You don't deserve a moment's contemplation you arrogant jack ass."  
  
The self-righteous sparkle left Jack's expression when he saw the torment in Irina's. She was losing the battle with her tears and she was having a difficult time catching her breath.  
  
"What happened in Kashmir Irina?" Jack prodded.  
  
"You know what happened you audacious, insensitive bastard, are you trying to torture me?" Irina hissed.  
  
"I want you to tell me." Jack insisted innocently.  
  
Jack watched as her whole body tensed at once. Her eyes met his and flashed with pure, untamed rage.  
  
"You want me to tell you Jack?" Irina's voice increased in decibel. "How about I give you some numbers Jack. You always did appreciate empirical data didn't you. Twelve Jack, the maximum amount of days I could go with food. Ten, the number of electroshock sessions I had. One hundred and thirty-six, the times I had pressure point incision therapy. Have you had that Jack? It feels like your body is being turned inside out. Eighty- seven, the times I passed out during that particular torture."  
  
Irina made no move to wipe the tears running the surface of her face. "Seven hundred and sixty-two, the number of times they threatened you or Sydney. Sixty-eight, the number of broken bones they issued me. Fourteen, the number of surgeries I had to repair the damage. Seventy-four, the number of times they raped me with me begging them to stop. One hundred and eighteen, the number of times they raped me after I gave up begging. Three hundred and thirty-seven, the number of days I spent in that hell hoping you and Sydney were safe, while at the same time, praying you would save me."  
  
Jack caught her and pulled her to him before her legs refused to hold her any longer. He stroked her hair as her shoulders quiver with her sobs. Before he could stop it, a tear escaped Jack's moist eyes and traced a lonely path down his cheek.  
  
"Shh." He soothed. "I know, I know. I saw part of the tape."  
  
Just as the sun began ducking beneath the horizon Irina pulled away and wiped her face. She felt a strange sense of satisfaction at seeing another one of Jack's shirt ruined.  
  
"I thought you had left." Irina kept her head down, ashamed at her uncharacteristic outburst.  
  
"I was going to; however, I remembered a similar incident when you were pregnant with Sydney. Actually, there were a few of them and you always left." Jack took a deep breath. "But you always came home."  
  
"But your car is gone." Irina's brow furrowed in confusion.  
  
"I went out to retrieve my bag so I could change my shirt and found the little present you left me." At the bewildered expression he received, Jack elaborated. "You keyed the car when you went out. I had to phone the rental company and get them to pick it up. They're charging me three thousand dollars to get the car repainted."  
  
"Oh right, oops." The vindication emanated brightly from Irina. "So in the spirit of retribution, you ransacked my bedroom and broke into my safe."  
  
"No, that was merely a happy accident." Jack paused. "I wish I hadn't watched that tape." His soft response rocked Irina.  
  
"I never have. I took it, knowing what it was but I have never been self- destructive enough to watch it." Irina walked to the edge of the pool.  
  
"Where did you get the pictures of Sydney?" Jack didn't expect a shocking answer and did not receive one.  
  
"I only recently attained them. I had someone I trusted to make copies of them." Irina folded her arms across her chest when she felt Jack move beside her.  
  
"This Larkin person." Jack concluded.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"What was the CD? I didn't get around to it." Jack glanced at Irina from the corner of his eye.  
  
"It's a video copy of the last sonogram I had." Irina shrugged.  
  
"And the amnio results?" Jack tried to sound blasé.  
  
"Everything is normal. No anomalies on chromosome 21 or any other mutations, a perfectly healthy baby." Relief filtered into Irina's response.  
  
"Girl or Boy?" Jack continued to question.  
  
"Monkey." Irina replied with a straight face but eventually they both cracked a smile. She had answered Jack the same way almost thirty year before when he had asked her whether she thought Sydney was going to be a girl or a boy.  
  
"I want a paternity test." Irina didn't turn to look at him.  
  
"Well then, you have two options. First, you can use the amniotic fluid from the test I've already had done or wait until the baby is born because I'm in my nineteenth week, no longer eligible for another amnio."  
  
"I'll use the sample you have already had drawn." Jack answered to the astonishment of Irina.  
  
"You're trusting me?" This time she did turn to stare.  
  
"For now." Jack returned the gaze. "Although I'll be testing the samples with the lab technician and while you might be good, even you can't manufacture a positive match."  
  
"Jack." She caught his eyes and held them. "I'm sorry."  
  
"I thought you might be." Jack smiled tentatively. "It's alright, I understand the new hormone levels are an adjustment."  
  
"Jack." Irina said again. "Attributing everything I do when pregnant to hormones is stupid. Don't be an idiot." With that she shoved him hard. His momentum carried him into the pool with a satisfying splash.  
  
Jack emerged sputtering. Irina chuckled at his appearance, spurring Jack on. The two took a moment to enjoy their laughter before sobering.  
  
"Well, it's nice to know what would have happened if we had installed that pool you wanted when you were pregnant with Sydney." Jack walked up the stairs and out of the pool.  
  
"It's past dinner time. I'm going to make something to eat." Irina made a quick exit. Her tension less palatable and steps lighter than before.  
  
TBC  
  
Please Review (-: 


	17. Show Me

Same Disclaimer Applies. The next few chapters have been written for a while but I go caught without the saved file for a while. I promise to update sooner next time...that is if anyone would like my too (evil smirk). Hope you like it.  
  
SYROS, GREECE  
  
The evening progressed at a snails pace with neither Jack nor Irina speaking. Jack had asked if she wanted help making dinner and received no reply, prompting him to take up residence on the sofa in the living room and watch the news.  
  
Without a word between them, Irina entered the living room and turned the power off on the television only to turn and walk out. Jack interpreted her actions to mean dinner was ready and sent a brief and silent plea out that she had not poisoned his meal. He was sure she had killed men for lesser evils than the one he had made her face a few hours before.  
  
"This isn't going to kill me is it?" Jack raised a wary eyebrow.  
  
Irina rolled her eyes and pursed her lips in disgust. "Of course not Jack. What purpose would that serve?"  
  
Irina had taken their plates of food to the dinner room where they sat across from one another stoically. For a while the only sounds heard were those of knives and forks clanking against the flatware and the roar of the surf hitting the rocks below.  
  
"Are you interested in talking yet?" Jack finally asked.  
  
"I was never uninterested; however, you would likely not find any importance in what I have to say." She didn't look up from her meal.  
  
"What did you do all afternoon? Usually when you're angry enough to leave you go for a walk but you took your car this time." Jack said nonchalantly.  
  
"I drove into town. I spent most of the day shopping but you would have seen the bags in my room and deduced my activities, so was the question designed to back me into a corner or open up?" Irina glared at Jack and stabbed at her food.  
  
"Neither, I just wanted to begin a dialogue." Jack ducked his head and muttered under his breath. "It seemed to have worked."  
  
"As soon as you can understand Kashmir is not something we'll be having a dialogue about I'll be happy to converse." Irina relaxed into her seat.  
  
"Fine. Kashmir is a closed subject." Jack nodded to which Irina sighed in relief. "For now." His tone held the promise of a discussion in the near future.  
  
Silence blanketed the table once again; both occupants wondering who would brave the next topic.  
  
"How's Sydney?" Irina asked with all the interest of a mother inquiring about the events of the day.  
  
"Recovering. She was shaken after realizing the woman she thought to be her friend was an imposture." Jack stopped the fork full of food on the way to his mouth. "It's surprising how she continues to function with such compassion after all the betrayals she's faced." He shot the accusation at her.  
  
"And her relationship with Michael Vaughn?" She ignored Jack's comment.  
  
"They spent some time together in Santa Barbra and are in the process of moving in together. Frankly, I think they're moving too fast."  
  
"Love waits for no one." A small smile graced Irina's lips.  
  
"Irina Derevko, queen of the proverb. You seem quite content to dole out the relationship advice despite your history of unhealthy sexual accomplishments." Jack bit his tongue from saying anything further when he saw Irina tense. He was still hoping to get more information out of her.  
  
"Think of me what you wish, but know that I only want happiness for Sydney." Irina answered venomously. Jack's response startled her.  
  
"I know." He pushed the remainder of food around on his plate. "That may be one thing I can identify with you on. Both of us want to see Sydney happy and safe yet neither is very good at expressing without making her hurt more."  
  
"Trying to protect her by keeping things from her only seems to tare at her more." Irina added.  
  
"She keeps reminding us she is an adult. She has also demonstrated she can handle whatever life has to throw at her. It isn't healthy for her when we keep secrets from her." Jack continued the train of thought.  
  
"We should tell her about the baby and your trip here." Irina stated with resignation.  
  
Jack and Irina stared at each other, mulling over the idea with thoughtful expressions. They opened their mouths at the same time, speaking simultaneously.  
  
"No." "I don't think so." Eliciting a gossamer smile from both.  
  
"Where are you going?" Jack inquired when Irina stood from the table with empty plate in hand.  
  
He followed her into the kitchen, depositing his plate into the dishwasher in a mimic of her own actions. She ignored his question, walking outside. Jack hurried after her as she climbed the first flight of stairs to the second level patio, then another to the flat roof.  
  
White lights dotted the edge of the roof in the darkened sky. Ornate torches lined the back edge; coming to life as Irina lit them. An outdoor table set with umbrella sat in one corner while lounge chairs lined the front of the roof surface. Moving his gaze lower, Jack noticed the oddity. Rich green grass cover the roof like a sharply cut rug. It seemed so out of place for the island as even coarse thick blades were sparse.  
  
"How did you get grass to grow on your roof, much less Greece in the summer?" Jack felt the smoothness under his bare feet.  
  
"There's an intricate watering system underneath, keeping the roots damp." Irina explained. "I like to come up here and feel the soft grass underfoot." She smirked. "It's the little things."  
  
Irina laid back on one of the loungers, cataloguing all the constellations. Jack took up residence on the seat beside her.  
  
"Despite all the traveling I do, I forget how visible the stars are, everywhere but L.A."  
  
"I like to come out here at night. With the sun gone and the breeze off the water, the temperature is perfect. It's my sojourn from time; I come out here and unwind from the stresses of the day." Jack caught the wistful element to her words.  
  
"Why Syros? What made you choose it?" Jack turned his head to the side.  
  
"The island is secluded enough that not may people would think to look for me here but it sees enough tourism to keep me from standing out. It's one of the few suburban islands in Greece, only beginning to draw tourists. Many of the people on the island own homes, wealthy people that come to get away from their own lives, none are interested in mine. The Army Base ensures no surveillance and few pictures by the visiting population. It's unassuming and secure but not vast enough to get lost. I don't think I could risk losing myself again." Jack felt there was a story there to be dissected later.  
  
"And it had the most important feature of all: a hospital." She turned her head and returned Jack's gaze.  
  
"Yes, I see how that would constitute a deal maker. But you couldn't have had the house built in the time you found out you were pregnant."  
  
"You're correct. I built this right before I turned myself into the CIA. I was planning on living here once I got out of the intelligence field."  
  
"What made you decide to turn yourself in at that particular point then?" Jack hoped she would shut down as before.  
  
"In the more recent years, my organization has grown exponentially. It was quite sudden and demanded the majority of my attention. I had lost track of you and Sydney in that time." She took a deep breath. "When I encountered her in Tai Pei I realized how deep the waters had gotten for her. She had been treading in the open so long it was only a matter of time before she drowned. She needed help and she needed to get out, so I formulated a plan to do just that." When there was no indication she was going to carry on, Jack resumed asking questions.  
  
"Why don't you have any guards posted? You're a target to many people including Sloane."  
  
"I don't live in a fortress Jack, just a quaint house on the side of a mountain with others close by. Guards wouldn't be too inconspicuous would they?" Her lips curled with the sarcasm. "I don't need to be drawing attention to myself." She tried and failed at stifling a yawn. "I'm going to bed."  
  
"I think I'm going to stay here for a while." Jack watched her get up from the chair, mindful of her extra weight.  
  
"I'll put your bag in your room. It's the one across the hall from mine." She couldn't be sure but she thought she saw disappointment flash across Jack's eyes. "Goodnight Jack." She called before entering the sanctuary of her bedroom.  
  
Jack stayed outside for a while longer, enjoying the play of lights in different parts of the island. He was having a difficult time reconciling the experience Irina had after leaving him with the images he had conjured up on the lonely nights he spent missing her. The events of the day caught up to Jack urging him to rest.  
  
An hour had passed from the time Irina had gone to bed, surprising Jack; he had not noticed the passing time. Taking the time to lock up the house and turn off the lights the fatigue abated marginally.  
  
While the four doors on the second floor had all been closed earlier in the day, the door across from Irina's room was open, inviting Jack in. The bedroom mirrored the décor of the rest of the house, with high ceilings, white walls, mahogany furniture and large pieces of art framed in gold.  
  
Irina had not only taken his bag to the room, but laid out his sleepwear and put the other cloths in the closet or dresser. Perusing the items, Jack found quite a few things he had not arrived with; likely a result of Irina's trip into town.  
  
As Jack lay in bed a barrage of images assaulted his mind. The tape he had so foolishly played earlier in the day was tattooed to his consciousness. Despite his experience being tortured and torturing others by request of Arvin Sloane, Jack felt his stomach rebel against the thoughts.  
  
An irritated sigh escaped his lips and he lifted himself from the bed. Crossing the hall into Irina's room, he was careful to avoid making a sound. The moonlight gave Jack the means to make it to the side of the bed without walking into a piece of furniture but the details remained obscure.  
  
He found Irina curled on her side, just right of the center of the bed. Her brow was furrowed and her jaw set harshly in sleep, gone was the aloof woman who feigned peace in a glass box. In her place remained a woman weighed down by the stress of her life and many others. A woman he had once cared for and if he was honest, still did.  
  
Jack took a chance and lifted his hand to caress her face. Hoping his touch would smooth out the lines of worry and fear marring it. To his utter amazement, Irina's entire body relaxed further into the mattress as his palm made its journey from her hair line to her jaw.  
  
The sense of wonderment vanished quickly, to be replaced by his own fear. Years of training and self-preservation should have honed her perceptions, awake or asleep yet she did not stir at his presence. With no guards to protect her or any sign of a security system to warn her, Irina was the proverbial sitting duck.  
  
Jack sat at her bedside well into the night until finally returning to his own room in search of a moment's rest. If tomorrow turned out to be even half as eventful as today, he would need all the sleep he could get.  
  
TBC  
  
Please Review (-: 


	18. Feel Me

AN:  _Same disclaimers Apply_.  Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been in a time crunch with the end of school only a week and a half away. DAY 2 

Irina woke well after nine in the morning determined to make her second day with Jack better than the first.  A quick run into town for fresh bread and fruit was used to kill time, waiting for Jack to awaken.  Upon her return he still had not roused from his slumber so Irina set about preparing breakfast.

Cooking had never been her favourite past time but after spending over a month in seclusion she had honed her skills considerably.  Many of her days were marked by exercise and meals.  In order to stay well hidden she had cut all ties with members of her organization, avoiding intelligence information completely.

By eleven thirty Irina had prepared enough food to feed the army running drills at the base on the other side of the port.  Jack shuffled into the kitchen just as she took the eggs of the burner.

"Good, you're up.  I was just going to come wake you."  

"I can't remember the last time I slept until almost noon.  Quite frankly I don't believe I ever have."  Jack looked down at himself with unease.  He had slipped a pair of shorts Irina had purchased over his boxers and still wore the T-shirt he slept in.

"I'm sure you needed the rest."  She dismissed him, walking out to the patio with her breakfast.

Jack filled a plate of his own, following her out the open French doors.  The heat blanketed him as stepped foot outside.  Even the sea breeze was not enough to compensate for the hellish inferno. 

"How do you stand it out here?"  Jack sat at the outdoor table, thankfully shaded by a grade umbrella. 

"I love it.  The heat is so powerful that one must just admit defeat and submit to it.  Sometimes it's reassuring to submit to a force stronger than you."  

Irina's introspective mood was almost too much to handle for Jack so soon after waking; however, the deliciousness of the food kept him rooted in place.

"Thank you for preparing breakfast, all the meals for that matter."  Jack caught he shrug.  "As I recall neither of us were near the caliber of gourmet but this is wonderful."  

"I had twenties years to get better.  If my skills had not improved I would have serious doubts in regard to the tests that christened me a genius."  Irina smirked.

"So what's on the agenda today?"  Jack asked lightheartedly or as lighthearted as Jack Bristow gets.

"You're allowing me to plan your day?"  Irina bit her bottom lip in thought.

"Sometimes it's reassuring to submit to a force stronger than you."  He returned the words to their owner.

"How brilliantly predictable of you Jonathan."  Irina tilted her head to the side.

"One of us has to be.  Unpredictability creates trouble."  

"Ah so that's what this is."  Irina pointed to her stomach.  "Trouble."  

"It's all trouble where you're concerned Irina."  Jack stated meaningfully. 

Trading barbs with her was easy and comfortable but left a bitter taste in Jack's mouth.  The battle they were fighting was familiar but the war was unmarked terrain; neither seemed equipped to stumble through.

"I set up an appointment at the laboratory in the hospital for the test to be done tomorrow.  Dr. Maridakos will be expecting you at nine o'clock to begin the procedure."  She sipped from her glass of orange juice, waiting for his response. 

"Have you worked with him before?"  

"He did the work up on the amniotic fluid for the baby but I haven't met the man.  I have an alias for use on the island; your cover is as my husband you found out you may have a debilitating disorder.  Just tell them the final results are not in and the DNA test is being conducted to determine if the baby is a close enough match to allow you to use the stem cells from the umbilical cord."

"And if the baby turns out not to be mine at all?  Won't that raise a few questions at the hospital?"  Jack made direct eye contact with her.

"It would.  But short of Divine intervention, the baby is yours." 

"I've been meaning to ask you; how exactly it is you came to be pregnant?"  Jack shifted in his chair.

"Apparently I'm not the only one who should possibly be doubting their genius.  If you don't know that at you're age Jack then I don't suppose I would have any success explaining it to you."  Irina shook her head in dismay.

"That isn't what I meant.  I was referring to your age.  It may have been a long time since health class but I'm pretty certain most women at fifty-two are unable to conceive."  

"Quite right but I'm not fifty-two."  Irina placed her fork on her plate, prepared to enlighten her companion.

"Many things may have been revealed to me over the last twenty years but I have seen your KGB profile. Your date of birth is March 22, 1951; you're taking the aversion to aging to a whole other level Irina."  He set his mouth firmly.

"In the USSR children were identified early on as to their skills.  By the time I was five the government had decided I would become an athlete.  I was luckier than most, because my parents lived in Moscow, I did not have to leave home to train."  She paused to recall the memory and allow Jack to catch her direction of thought.

"My mother's family lived in the country; they had an entire stable of horses which I took to immediately.  The athletic advisors would have us experience every sport imaginable before they placed us.  They believed I had potential in a few areas but I loved the horses so they designated me an Equestrian and began my training.  I showed unbelievable promise but then I hit a snag."  

"What happened?"  Jack had placed his fork on his plate as well, in order to give Irina his full attention.

"I grew."  Had Jack not seen the sadness in her eyes, he would have laughed outright at the picture forming in his head.  "A horse doesn't jump very well with six feet of weight on top of them.  Thus ended my illustrious carrier as an Equestrian."

"What does that have to do with your age?"  Jack's forehead crumpled in puzzlement.

"If you would reign in your impatience I will get to it."  Irina scolded.  "They weren't about to give up on me.  Height may be debilitating in the sport I was in but it can be advantageous in many others.  Besides horses I loved swimming and skating and found it difficult to choose between the two as it turned out so did the athletic advisors."

"You were a figure skater?"  Jack inquired.

"Not even close.  I had very little balance in my youth; I would have spent more time on my ass than my feet.  I was a speed skater and butterfly and free style swimmer.

"I began training for both and advanced quickly.  My training schedule was hectic and with my educational periods added it became almost unbearable but I was determined to make the Olympic team for both events.  I rationalized that one was a summer sport and the other was winter, making it tangible.  When the 1968 Olympics came about, I decided to attempt the qualifiers for speed skating.  I finished with the fastest time among women in the Soviet Union. But I was only fifteen and the committee thought I was too young to participate, they revoked my privilege to leave the country to compete."  Irina's lips turned down, frowning at the injustice.

"I knew the outcome would be the same for my qualifiers for swimming; I raced any.  It just about killed my fifteen year old spirit when Lyndmila Titora won the gold medal in speed skating and set an Olympic record with a time of 46.1 seconds.  I had an average time of 46 seconds flat and beat her in the qualifiers at a time of 45.7 seconds; she was a hack."  

"So why didn't you just wait for the next Olympic year and qualify again?" Jack asked.

"I was training to do just that.  What I didn't know was that the KGB had been watching me for two years at that point, they didn't want me leaving the country before they could fill my head with patriotic propaganda.  The KGB had been the ones to block my admittance to the team and had every intention of doing the same in 1972.  Khasniau was intrigued by me and was desperate to recruit me.  So desperate, he forged my paperwork so they believed I was two years older than I was.  I was sixteen when they coerced me into joining."

"Coerced?"  An eyebrow was raised across the table from her.

"It was a great honor to be asked to sever Russia but I was raised in an athletic arena where you serviced your country by performing to the best of your ability.  I wanted to prove my athletic talent in an international forum."   

"So why didn't you turned the KGB down?"

"Like you, I was an idealist who wanted to service my country.  When I was told in no uncertain terms, I would never be permitted to compete with the Olympic team because I was needed in the KGB, I made the only choice I could."  Jack nodded along in understanding.  "So that was the longwinded version of telling you I was born March 22, 1953 and am fifty, not fifty-two."

"I see."  Jack resumed eating.

"I bare my childhood angst and all you have to say is: 'I see'?"  The accusation was stated with gentle ribbing.  

"I'm sorry; I'm picturing you at fifteen arguing the validity of their decision not to send you to France for the Games."  Jack covered his smirk with a mouthful of food.

"Yes, I can see how picturing a young her having her dreams dashed would amuse you."  She bit out sharply.

"While fifty is younger than fifty-two, it still seems old to be pregnant."  Jack challenged further.

"It's apparently more common than you think.  According to my first doctor, women in their late forties, early fifties are finding themselves pregnant more often.  There is an on going debate about the issue but causes range from by-products in the foods commonly eaten today, methods of birth control and stress, all contributing to the longevity of childbearing age."  

"How….uninteresting."  Jack announced with a slight roll of his eyes.  He got no response from the woman across from him.  "You still haven't told me what you have planned for today." 

"I haven't got anything planned.  I expected you would keep yourself busy."  Irina gathered both her plate and Jack's, which had was not done with, and entered the house in the direction of the kitchen.

"Well then I think I'll visit the town.  The house is feeling cramped suddenly."  Jack glared at her back.

"Fine."  She called over her shoulder.

"I'm taking your car."

"Fine."  She said again.  "Keys are on the front hall table."  

Jack retreated to his room to shower and change to go into town.  Standing at the doorway to the living room after dressing, Jack watched Irina lounge comfortably on the sofa with a book in hand.

"I'll be back later."  

"Fine."  Her replied wasn't accompanied by any movement.

"Goodbye."  Jack waited.

"Fi-"  She caught herself and looked up at Jack.  "Goodbye."  She said softly.

Satisfied with the response, Jack turned and walked out the door, leaving a disappointed woman behind.  She had not expected Jack to jump at the first opportunity to leave her company and was hurt by it.  The morning had been filled with plans as to how they would spend the day and it seemed none of them would come to fruition.  Stamping down the sorrow, Irina returned her attention to her book.


	19. Haunt Me

AN:  _Same disclaimers Apply_.  I have a habit of not editing or doing so after I've pulled an all nighter, so I do apologize. ARIMOPOLOUS, SYROS 

The water rushed against the port's edge in a soothing rhythm.  The town was crowding quickly with the arrival of one of the Hydrofoils.  The streets were crowded with people, the noise level climbing continuously.  The town was obviously alive with activity today, the only question remaining for Jack was what.

Each café and restaurant had TVs inside and out, all displaying the same image.  Upon closer inspection Jack realized they were watching a soccer game.  Before he could second guess himself, Jack sat down 

The friendly atmosphere pulled him in and before long Jack had placed a bet on the outcome of the game with five men and two of the women seated around him.  Having played very little soccer as a child and following the game even less as an adult, Jack was surprised when the team he bet on won.

Although his Greek was flawless, the locals picked up on his foreign status.  The customary ribbing followed Jack's admittance that he was an American.  Jack played to their humor with self-deprecating tails of his own.

As the post game wrap up ran down the crowds began to disburse.  Men and women went back to their jobs or homes, still talking about the poor calls in the game.  Jack checked his watch and noticed it was late afternoon.  He had effectively avoided thoughts of Irina for well over two hours.  The triumph of such recognition should not have been as great as it was.

Jack shook his head in an attempt to organize his thoughts.  He walked through the streets, glancing in the windows of stores along the way.  A small antique store window caught his eye, urging him inside.  A few other tourists milled about in the store, talking amongst themselves and vacillating over which items to purchase.  

A bookshelf lined on of the walls with classical titles in a plethora of languages.  Jack located a handful in English and considered the heavy leather bound stories.  The books reminded him of Sydney and not for the first time in two days he wondered how she would react to news of her mother's pregnancy.   

Jack decided to buy an aged copy of the Iliad and before he could stop himself, picked up the first addition copy of Chaucer's  "The Wife of Bath".  He paid for the two books and left the story, needing to stretch his legs and work off some nervous energy.

Mindful of the busy streets, Jack kept his head up; however, his mind was miles away.  Sydney didn't need another bombshell dropped on her like this.  She had lost one of her best friends and almost lost another, not to mention the betrayal she still felt over the departure of her mother.

Life seemed to be intent on delving out one blow after the next to his daughter.  Jack knew she was strong but one person could only handle so much before their sanity imploded.  There was a time when Sydney would have been overjoyed at knowing she would have a sibling, but that joy had died with Laura.

**{FLASHBACK}**

_"Mommy, guess what?  Mrs. Abbot is going to have a baby.  And Jessica's mommy just got a new baby too.  Now Jessica is a sister."  __Sydney__ had propelled herself out of the bus and into her mother's waiting arms._

_Irina had scheduled her classes so she only taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays, making it possible to meet her four year old daughter at the bus stop the rest of the week.  __Sydney__ only attended for half days but she was never short of stories about the few hours she spent away from her mother._

_"Really?__  Well that sounds pretty neat.  Did Mrs. Abbot say when the baby was due?"  Irina pulled Sydney's little backpack off and carried it, so her daughter could run if she chose to._

_"Yep, she said the baby get here in July."  __Sydney__ said brightly._

_"Wow."  Irina smiled at her daughter's excitement.  Doing the quick calculations she figured __Sydney__'s teacher would be in her fifth month and was likely showing.  With so many inquisitive students she had been force to tell them when her stomach was growing.  Irina chuckled when she realized the issue of a pregnant kindergarten teacher would likely raise a lot of questions for the children's parents._

_"And do you know what Jessica's new baby is called?"  Irina stifled a laugh at her daughter's declaration of possession as 'Jessica's'._

_"No, what is it?"  Irina snagged __Sydney__'s hand as they walked across the street.  "It's __Carson__."  _

_Irina had yet to figure out how Sydney aquired a Boston accent, living only in __Maryland__ and __California__ but it was quite endearing.  Jack had admitted he pronounced his vowels similarly until the age of five, he figured __Sydney__ would grow out of it like most children._

_Sydney's chatter continued all the way to the house, where she promptly kicked off her shoes and made a byline for her play room._

_"Wash your hands first __Sydney__."  Irina watched her daughter skid to a halt and fly in the other direction to use the bathroom on the main floor._

_Irina had just sat down to go over the lesson plan for the following day when the front door opened and closed.  She checked the time on her watch and saw it was only __four thirty__ and Jack was out of town until tomorrow.  Her shoulder's tensed with wariness and subtle fear at the intruder but she didn't move from her seat.  The footsteps coming down the hallway made her smile slightly and sigh in relief.  _

_She rose from her chair at the kitchen table and ventured into the hallway to greet her surprise arrival. _

_"I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow."  Irina smiled at her husband, who was presently trying to balance his briefcase, suitcase and coat.  "I told you the coat would be wasted, you still haven't gotten used to March being warm."  She took the garment and hung it on its hook._

_"Well it wasn't as warm where I was."  Fatigue colored Jack's light words.  "It's good to be home."  He sighed._

_Irina wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight for a while.  She finally pulled back and kissed Jack thoroughly.  "I missed you."  She announced softly when she pulled away._

_"I missed you too."  Jack kissed her again.  "And our beautiful daughter.  Where is she?"  He smiled against his wife's lips and tightened his arms around her._

_"__Sydney__, Daddy's home."__  Irina called over her shoulder.  The house was silent for a second until __Sydney__'s little feet pounded down the hallway.  _

_"Daddy!"__  She squealed.  Irina reluctantly released Jack as __Sydney__ dove into his arms.  "You were gone a long time this time Daddy.  Me and Mommy were lonely."  __Sydney__ said solemnly._

_"Mommy and I Sweetheart."__  Irina corrected instinctively._

_"I was lonely too __Sydney__."  Jack smiled at his daughter.  _

_"Okay Daddy, put me down now."  __Sydney__ order.__  Jack lowered her to the floor and looked on with interest as she stood up straight.  "I have a nunouncment to say."_

_"You mean announcement Sweetie and you make them."  Her mother informed her._

_"That's what I said.  A nunouncment."  Her voice demanded their attention.  "It's time for be to be a sister."  _

_Jack and Irina balked at their four year old in astonishment.  Everything in her tone and demeanor was resolute, not leaving room for negotiation._

_"Honey, that is a very important decision that Mommy and Daddy have to make."  Irina soothed.  She was waiting for __Sydney__'s signature tantrum to start._

_Without fail, __Sydney__ stomped her foot and placed her hands on her hips.  "I want to be a sister right now."  She demanded._

_"__Sydney__, that isn't how it works.  Mommy's right, it's a very important decision."  Jack eyed his wife over their daughter's head._

_"Why do you want to be a sister Sydney?"  Irina asked softly, crouching down to her daughter's level._

_"Cause Jessica is one and so is Katie and Sam.  They all get to be sisters but I don't and it's not fair."  Her foot hit the floor again._

_"Honey, being a sister is hard work for you and for Mommy and me."  Jack knelt as well.  "How about you go play before dinner."  Jack smiled at her._

_"If I can't get a baby, can I have a puppy?"  __Sydney__'s wide eyes caught her fathers in a plea._

_"Maybe in a few years, you're still too young and puppies are hard work too."  Irina told her._

_"Fine."__Sydney__ sighed and took off to her play room once again._

_"You want to tell me what that was all about?"  Jack asked as they both stood._

_"__Sydney__'s teacher is pregnant and her friend Jessica's mother's just had a baby.  __Sydney__ is feeling left out."  Irina explained the bus stop conversation to Jack as he pulled something from the freezer for dinner._

_"So, what do you think?"  Jack wondered, trying to figure out what else to put with the pork chops._

_"What do I think about what?"  Irina responded.  She was half focussed on their conversation and half on her lesson plan._

_"About having another child."__  Jack returned._

_Irina was thankful her head was down and Jack couldn't see the fear grace her features.  Despite her best efforts, Jack saw it anyway but he chose not to comment on it._

_"Now really isn't a good time."  She turned to face him in her chair.  "I know __Sydney__ wasn't planned and it worked out well in the end but we both have so much going on right now it would be too much."  She dropped her pen and ran a hand through her hair._

_"You're on more missions out of town than every before.  Sydney and I don't get to see much of you as it is and in another year I may be up for tenure at the university.  If we have a baby now, I won't get it."  _

_Jack nodded along with her arguments, understanding where she was coming from.  "You're right, it's not an ideal time to have another child, but you'll tell me what is, right." _

_"Maybe a couple years."__  Irina smiled.  "Hopefully __Sydney__'s sister phase will be over soon."  _

_Sydney__'s 'phase' had not ended over the course of the next two years, and in some cases gotten worse.  She had tried talking one parent into the idea at a time, told her father her mother wanted another baby and in the later years told her parents she would adopt a baby._

_On more than one occasion __Sydney__ had ignited Jack's want of another child but Irina had held fast to the notion of waiting.  Knowing she was the one who would have to carry the child and be primary caregiver while he was out of town, Jack didn't ask too many questions._

**{END FLASHBACK} **

Walking through the narrow streets, avoiding motorcycles and mopeds, Jack realized he had the answer to Irina's reluctance.  He kicked himself for not seeing the obvious at the time as he had done with so many other revelations he'd had over the years. 

The hour was reaching seven and Jack felt hungry all of a sudden.  Making another quick decision, Jack picked up dinner and took it back to the villa.  He didn't feel like waiting for Irina to make dinner nor was he interested in making it himself.

VILLA, SYROS 

Into the mouth of the beast, Jack thought as he walked through the heavy door of the house.  Depositing the bags he carried in the kitchen, Jack realized how little of the house he had glimpsed from his previous inspections.  Fresh flowers adorned the kitchen table, the living room table and the hallway mantle.  The Corinthian pillars guarding either side of the dining room entrance were structured of marble, the gray veins stretching delicately over them.  

The main floor of the house was largely modeled after the open-conceptual idea.  Although the house could not have exceeded four thousands square feet, it definitely felt larger.  Jack silently admitted to himself, he appreciated the architecture while wondering where Irina had found the contractors to complete the work.  He had been versed well enough in international economics for his cover at Credit Dauphane and knew how difficult it was to build in Greece, as there was a shortage of laborers and an abundance of University graduates. 

The sun was still in the sky at the late hour of the day.  Jack was loath to admit it but he loved the longer days of the summer, they had always been much easier to deal with.  He couldn't stand the winters when the nights came quickly, forcing him to dwell on thoughts he'd rather avoid. 

The house suddenly seemed too quiet; he couldn't sense the movement of Irina.  Deciding to check her room to see if she had merely fallen asleep, Jack ascended the stairs, noting they too were marble but softened by a carpeted runner.

Stillness shrouded the upstairs as well; he didn't find Irina in her bedroom or the bathroom.  An irrational shot of panic ran the reverse of any good drink.  Burning the pit of his stomach, gravitating to his throat and leaving a biting taste in his mouth.  Forcing down the betraying emotions, Jack opened the patio doors and walked to the ledge on the second story.  

In the pool below, a dark outline was underwater, moving gracefully from one end of the pool to the other.  Suppressing the sigh of relief, he watched Irina carefully as her head emerged from the water and her freestyle strokes began; level with the water's surface. 

She still had yet to notice her audience; her arms and legs hitting the water in measured motions.   The woman below had the ability to baffle Jack with only one glance although disclosing as much would mean risking his life and his sanity.  In only a day her eyes had held both a startling calm and nervous energy that would make Marshall look little a meditative guru.

Jack's attention was anchored back to the pool when Irina made for the stairs and climbed out.  His mouth ran dry and his heart did its best to escape the confines of his chest.  The low sun tormented him further by lighting Irina with an ethereal glow.  He closed his eyes and reopened them, hoping the scene had changed and Irina was wearing something other than the dark pink bikini.  The material looked sturdy and sharp against her olive complexion, contrasting in the most alluring way.  It wasn't fair that she could elicit such an overt response from him just by stepping out of a water filled hole in the ground.  Her growing stomach seemed to add to the alluring qualities she possessed.

Without conscious effort Jack was transported back to another time and place where the woman below had a different name he was learning for the first time. 

{**FLASHBACK}**

_"Hey Jack, were you in class this morning?"  Jack turned from his bag to see David Kipling beside him._

_"Yeah."__ Jack and Dave had three classes together and often traded notes and information when one or the other wasn't in class. _

_"I was studying for my math midterm tomorrow and missed the class.  You think I'd be able to borrow the notes?"_

_"There weren't any for yesterday.  Dr. Van Kirk set up a workshop for us to apply what we've learned thus far.  It wasn't worth the time it took to get to the class; you're lucky you missed it.  Just have chapter seven read by next class."  Jack pulled his shorts and shirt on over his dry swimsuit; the suit was designed for racing and therefore left very little to the imagination.  Jack had never been enthused over the girl's swim team members ogling him, compelling him to cover up before they arrived for their practice time._

_Being tall and lanky for much of his life had been a benefit in the sport of swimming. It often cut seconds off your time and gave Jack an advantage he was pleased with.  He had been swimming for UMBC (__University__ of __Maryland Baltimore County__) for three years and quite enjoyed it.  _

_The independence of swimming was interesting when you threw in a team dynamic.  While away at meets you competed with other schools for the best time but while training it was your own teammates who stood in your way of being fastest.  In the case of the guy's team it created a friendly competitive environment, able to push you to your limits.  But on the girls' team the atmosphere was much crisper.  Cliques formed quickly with competition fierce between groups and within them.  The girls were friendly to each other so long as they didn't have to swim against one another.  He tensed just watching their practices.  _

_"Men, don't forget your circuit before you leave.  Twenty minutes on the bike, three reps of twenty of the weights of legs and arms and a good long stretch.  We're only a month into the season, I don't want anyone getting injured."  _

_Jack nodded along with his coach's words, moving to the far end of the indoor pool facility housing the weights and cardio equipment. He hopped up on the bike and began his workout.  The girl's were uncharacteristically quiet behind the starting blocks at the other end of the pool facility piquing Jack's curiosity.  _

_"Girls, we have a new member of the team trying out today.  She just transferred to __Maryland__ from St. Lawrence University."  The women's coach announced simply._

_Jack's eyes flitted over the female swimmers, looking for the new face, but the coach was obviously blocking his view._

_"Coach Smith, the last cuts were made for this season two weeks ago.  I don't think it's fair to allow someone else to try out."  Jack identified the voice as Caroline.  She had the fastest time on the team currently and felt it gave her rights to every male on the men's team.  _

_"Thank you for the thoughts on the matter Caroline, next time wait until I ask for them."  _

_Jack smirked at Coach Smith's retort.  Based on her interaction with Caroline, he knew she disliked her attitude but kept her on the team because of her speed.  _

_"Laura Myers, this is the team.  Girls, meet Laura."  Jack turned around on the bike to see the rest of his teammates straining to get a glimpse of the new swimmer without success._

_"Okay ladies, we have shortened practice because of the under twenty meet being held here tonight.  We're going right to time trails.  I want to see a push right from the start, no holding back.  Laura, Deb, Caroline, Jill and Linda, you'll be in the first heat.  Four hundred meter freestyle."_

_The coach's comment got the attention of the entire men's team, working out quietly on the other side of the facility.  It seemed seeing the girls in their bathing suits everyday never got old, especially among the freshmen._

_"So Laura, what year are you in?"  Jack heard Deb ask the question, which seemed fitting, as she was one of the few girls who was generally nice._

_"I just started third.  I was attending a private University in upstate __New York__ as the coach mentioned but it didn't offer the same post-graduate work as UMBC."  _

_Girls were lined with their backs to the men, pulling their shorts and shirts off and stuffing them into their bags before setting out to swim.  Laura's deep smooth voice reached the weight area easily, making all the men glance at one another.  The tone was mature and held an air of intelligence few others were capable of.   _

_Finally Jack was able to pick the alien back from the more familiar girls and was startled.  Laura was extremely tall; possible rivaling his own height, with a body expertly sculpted.  Jack had never considered himself a 'body part' man but found Laura's legs and ass to attract his eye unwittingly. Her long brown hair fell loosely over her shoulders, running inches down her back._

_"Laura right?"__  Jack rolled his eyes at hearing Caroline's voice.  "I wouldn't get your hopes to high where the team is concerned, we have some of the best times in the country.  But maybe if you practice you'll make next year's B team."  _

_"Why thank you for the encouragement, I'll keep it in mind.  I haven't actually swum competitively for two years.  I wasn't interested in the team at my pervious school."  Laura responded in the same smooth voice._

_"Two years. You don't say, well this is going to be entertaining."  Caroline's face split in two with a snide grin.  _

_"No more stalling ladies, in the water."  Coach Smith ordered._

_The girl Jack had identified as Laura turned around giving him a view of her face for the first time.  Stillness shrouded the weight area as every guy drank in the sight of the new athlete.  Jack found his own feet catching on the pedals of the bike and had to alter his focus of concentration to continue._

_The girl was stunning; there was no other word for it.  She embodied beauty and exemplified sexiness.  She was thinner than he had originally thought but curved in ways few females did.  There was nothing plain about Laura; every one of his teammates had obviously made a similar deduction. She raised her arms to pull her hair into a loose bun at the back of her head to keep it out of her face while she swam._

_"So Jack, what do you think?"  One of his teammates whispered._

_"I think Caroline is going to make an example of her."  Jack cringed at the thought._

_"But what an example it will be."  The guy chuckled before returning to his weights._

_Jack looked at the clock to check his time left on the bike but quickly returned his gaze to the pool or more specifically Laura.  He suddenly wondered if she had been at the pool before the men had finished their practice.  Completing the practice and getting to the weight area had been so prominent on his mind, he had not noticed who had come in._

_"Up on the blocks girls.__  Eight laps, best time gets to leave early."  Coach Smith informed them as she did every day._

_Jack and his teammates watched all five girls get up on the blocks and take their position.  The whistle blew encouraging five bodies to dive into the pool.  Laura's form was straight and confident as she cut through the water's surface.   _

_Coach Smith appeared pleased with her new recruit's entry, watching closely at the form of all the girls as they began their swim.  Caroline pulled out in front quickly followed by Jill, Deb, Laura then Linda.   _

_Laura's form was impeccable but her speed was less than impressive.  She was holding her own but was a decent body and a half-length's behind Caroline.  He couldn't figure out why she was so far behind; her turns were excellent and her stroke appeared natural and well timed.  Perhaps she simply was not built for speed._

_Glancing at the clock, Jack realized Caroline had set a solid speed, likely to shave off a second or two from her last time; the other girls were just trying to keep up.  Getting off the bike, Jack moved to the weights, only placing a small portion of his attention on the quad press, while the rest belonged to the drama playing out in the water.  His follow teammates were already discussing Caroline's derogatory comments to the hot new girl._

_"Hey Jack, we're taking a poll, would you do the new girl?"  Dave asked._

_Sighing mentally, Jack turned to the other guys.  "Not an option boys."  Jack stated firmly.  He liked that as a forth year student many of the guys looked to him for approval and as team captain, he doled out his share. _

_"What do you mean?"  One of the second year guys asked._

_"You don't 'do' a girl like that."  Jack informed them.  "And you can stop entertaining the idea because there is no way she would date any one of you."  Jack smiled at them in jest. _

_"Geez Jack, you don't have to shred the boy's spirits like that."  Dave admonished with a chuckle.  _

_"Just calling them like I see them."__ Their attention fell once again on the pool with interest._

_One the fourth turn Laura suddenly shot out from the wall and passed Deb.  By the fifth turn she had moved ahead of Jill without looking strained or hurried.  Her body seemed to meet the water in understanding, it letting her pass if she left it unmarred.  Laura and Caroline were in the lanes next to each other with Laura gaining steadily.  Both girls encountered the sixth turn simultaneously but Laura's legs seemed to propel her further.  _

_The gap between Laura and Caroline opened wider, the latter of the girls unable to move any faster.  Laura seemed to find a greater speed, hitting the final turn more than a body's length ahead of her rival.  Jack had a feeling Caroline was going to be none too pleased with the outcome of the race; his belief growing stronger as he watched Laura touch the wall at least three seconds ahead of her._

_"Laura, that was wonderful.  This is the best time this year, possibly of last year as well."  Coach Smith said bluntly.  She wasn't one for great fanfare but she always congratulated her swimmers on impressive work.  "With times like these and a little bit of training, you could probably make next year's Olympic team."  _

_Laura refrained from rolling her eyes.  "I've thought of that, but it would be an interruption to my year which would not be conducive to my education.  And the Games have become too much of a political playground.  I would rather not be used as a soldier in the Cold War, like every other athlete."_

_As the other girls caught their breath, Laura lifted herself from the water seemingly unfazed by her efforts.  Caroline was scowling from her spot at the pool's edge._

_"Two years from the water has obviously slowed me down but I would think a training regiment could remedy that."  Laura sat on the deck as the next group of swimmers took their places on the blocks._

_Practice ran much the same for the rest of the afternoon, with Laura proving her strength and endurance to both Coach Smith and her teammates.  Most of the men's team watch in fascination as her butterfly rivaled many of their own.   _

_Jack found himself stretching out his workout, not wanting to miss the exploits of Laura.  He found her athleticism amazing and remarkably beautiful in its movements, of course it helped that she was physically gorgeous._

_He hadn't been completely honest with the guys on the team when they had asked if he would 'do' her.  He most certainly would, given the chance but what he meant when he said she wasn't the type, was merely she wasn't someone you had one night with.  She was a woman a man fell in love with.  _

_Laura Myers was an enigma physically.  She held herself with confidence and dealt with Caroline in a quick and blunt manner, not saying enough to anger her and just saying enough to put her off kilter.  She seemed proud of her abilities but content in her own accomplishment, not eager to have status and power over the other swimmers.  Yet, she was quiet much of the time, shying away from the groups yelling at their teammates to swim faster or turn sooner.  Laura eluded a calm, centered air, which seemed to extend to those around her, even if they refused to embrace it.  She was definitely a girl you doted on; one you would se fit to give the world to._

_"Jack, Chris and I are done.  We'll see you tomorrow."  Dave broke him from his revere._

_"Yeah.__  I'll see you tomorrow, call me if you have any questions about those readings."  Jack tore his eyes from the pool._

_"Thanks.  And you call me if Caroline looses it and beats up new girl."  Dave chuckled, glad that the splashing of the water would drown out his comment._

_"Nah.__  I have a feeling Caroline would loose that battle."  Jack smirked.  "Bye Dave."_

_"See ya Jack."  Dave headed out after Chris who was still likely in the locker room._

_His workout had been over for quite some time but Jack could pull himself away from the pool.  It wasn't unusually for Jack to stay longer than the rest of the team.  Being the captain, he made it a habit to be the last one to leave practice most days, that way if anyone had a problem they could speak to him in private.  But today his only reason to stay late was standing about six feet tall and wearing only a bathing suit.  _

_"Alright, Laura you had the fastest time today which means you're free to leave.  The rest of you, another twenty laps, alternating strokes every four lengths."  Coach Smith sat on the side of the deck making notes as Laura gathered her bag and pulled on her shorts and shirt.  Instead of leaving the building, she made her way over to the weight area and dropped her bag on the side of the mat.  _

_Irina knew it was the moment of truth.  She had not gotten Jack's attention in class or anywhere else on campus, of course she hadn't worked very hard at it after she had learned he was on the swim team.  She figured she could convince her superiors it would represent a common interest while it gave her a chance to do something she loved.  _

_She was eighteen and in a new country that was alien to her.  Her assignment seemed simple enough for an experienced agent but she was far from experienced in many ways; however she would only admit as much to herself.  The tension between her country and the __US__ was filled with mistrust, her superiors had explained to her contact would be a rare commodity in the beginning as she wouldn't have any valuable information for them.  _

_She had gotten the chance to see Jack in the pool before.  Her reward for being early for practice.  Irina had been impressed by his strength in the water.  He had broad shoulders and towered over most of his teammates, which she found surprisingly attractive.  At her height it was rare to find many men taller.  Another bonus to arriving early was the lack of concealment the swimsuits exhibited.  She had been given a wonderful view of her mark's body and she currently had no complaints._

_Irina held her breath and mentally steeled herself to make first contact with him.  She wasn't sure how she was going to seduce him.  The KGB had made it sound so easy, yet she didn't understand what this man could possibly see in her._

_Jack looked up at her in bewilderment although he tried to conceal it._

_"Do you mind if I stretch here?"  She asked with a shy reluctance._

_"Yes- I mean no, I mean yes you…."  Jack trailed off in embarrassment.  He was appalled at what his twenty-one year old brain was able to come up with._

_"So is that a yes or no?"  Irina's shoulders relaxed slightly. _

_"Sorry, yes you are welcome to stretch."  Jack indicated the mat beside him._

_A minute went by in silence, both trying to decide on something to say.  "You're really dedicated to stretching.  You've been here for almost half an hour."_

_"I like to be the last one to leave after practice and I don't want to get injured…"  Jack paused for a second and changed gears.  "You noticed how long I was sitting here?"  He was both parts elated and astonished._

_"Well, it's hard to miss someone staring at you."  Irina bit down on her bottom lip and cast her eyes on the mat beneath her._

_Jack's face flushed with colour at his embarrassment.  "I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was staring and I apologize if I made you uncomfortable."  _

_Irina raised her eyes and smiled a little at his apology.  "It's no problem.  I'm used to stares, it happens when you transfer to a new school in third year.  Don't worry about it."_

_"I wasn't staring because you're a new student."  Jack blurted out.  The next second he felt the walls closing in on him as his words played back in his head over and over.  _

_Irina appeared confused for a moment, then it dawned on her what he meant and her smile grew a little with her confidence.  "So tell me something, is Caroline always so competitive or was that just for me?"  _

_Jack almost sighed in relief but favored returning her smile instead.  "Always competitive.  You don't know what you got yourself into on that team, one day they're all best friends and the next they're ready to drown each other."_

_"Sounds like a lovely group of ladies."  Irina raised her eyebrows at Jack and changed position._

_"You're an amazing swimmer, that is sure to tick Caroline off."  Jack explained._

_"Thank you."  _

_"Did you spend a lot of time swimming as a child?"  Jack's calf was beginning to ache from over stretching it but he wasn't ready to leave now._

_"Mum hum.  You could say I grew up at the pool.  I love the water; there's something freeing about just floating and not having anything to depend on but your own strength of will."  Irina didn't know if she was seducing Jack Bristow properly but she was more at ease talking to him.  "You're a pretty incredible swimmer yourself."  Irina spoke truly.  She had been impressed by Jack's athleticism and his skill level._

_"Thank you.  I can identify with the feeling of being free."  Jack returned.  His blush hadn't disappeared yet, so when he heard her admit she had watched him earlier and had likely seen him get out of the pool his outward appearance didn't change.  There were some things he would have liked to leave to the imagination Jack thought bitterly.  "I'm Jack Bristow by the way."  He held out his hand despite feeling like an idiot for doing so._

_To his surprise she grasped his hand and held it tightly.  "Laura Myers.  And I know who you are Jack."  That enigmatic look was back._

_"I'm sorry, have we met before?"  Jack felt humiliation creeping up once again.  "I would think I'd remember an occasion such as that."  _

_"No, we haven't actually spoken before but I'm in your Political Science class and I've seen you on campus a few times."  Irina informed him._

_"Sorry if I'm a little surprised I haven't noticed you.  I find it hard to believe I would overlook someone so beautiful."  Jack said.  He thought he should likely stop stretching as it was getting far too easy to get his foot to his mouth._

_Irina left the comment alone, not sure what to do with it.  "You sure do apologize quite a bit."  She smiled at him.  Her nerves had abated as soon as she realized Jack Bristow was just as anxious as she was._

_"I suppose I do.  It must be something about you."  Jack's smile opened wider._

_"I've been accused of many things but instigating apologies has not been one of them."  She shifted again.  "What are you majoring in?"  _

_"Linguistics.__  Fourth year."  Jack responded.  "I know you're third year, what are you studying?"_

_"English major."__  She looked disgusted at her own words._

_"Not what you thought it would be?"  Jack asked sympathetically._

_"Sometimes I just get sick of ripping a book apart.  I mean people wrote them to be read and enjoyed, not for students and professors to make a mockery of analyzing very detail."_

_Jack laughed at her criticism.  "That is why you're a braver soul than I.  I would never be able to survive in those classes without being heavily medicated."  _

_"That's what I keep telling my doctor but he still refuses to write the prescriptions."  Irina joked.  Engaging in conversation with Jack Bristow was not as difficult as she had thought it would be._

_"Speaking of prescriptions, did you do the readings on the new health care reforms?"  Jack hoped he knew what he was doing._

_"Yes, although when you put it into context it makes no sense at all.  I'm not really sure what we were supposed to get out of the material."  _

_"I know, I spent two hours trying to decipher a meaning."  Jack paused and took a deep breath.  "Would you like to get together tonight and try to maybe figure it out?"  Jack held his breath._

_Irina knew this was what she was supposed to accomplish but the idea of being alone with Jack outside of a public setting terrified her.  She didn't really think she was cut out for this kind of assignment but was too proud and interested in furthering her career to turn it down._

_"That sounds great.  Just tell me what time and where."  Irina smiled._

_"How about my place at six-thirty.__  I can make us dinner and we can eat while we work."  Jack suggested slowly.  He wanted to see what exactly Laura was going to qualify their time as and adding dinner was sure to give it a 'date' ambiance. _

_"Sure.  Six-thirty it is."  She smiled at him again and moved to get up.  _

_Jack followed suit but grunted and grabbed his calf as soon as he tried to stand.  "Shit."  Jack bit his lip to keep from swearing any more._

_"What's wrong?"  Irina asked with concern._

_"Cramp, I think."  Jack breathed, while trying to loosen his calf._

_"Here."  Irina placed her hands on his leg and pushed his hands aside.  She massaged the back of his calf and forced Jack's leg to flex.  "I think you may have stretched for a little too long.  You've probably strained the muscle."  Irina stopped rubbing his leg when she felt him relax.  Their eyes caught, neither able to move or speak._

_"I had to stretch.  If I hadn't I would have missed out on sharing dinner with a beautiful girl."  Jack placed his hand on top of her, still resting on his calf._

_"Well great, now I'm the one who should be apologizing."  Irina smiled and twined her fingers through his.  "Come on, you're going to need to ice that.  Looks little making dinner is out of the question for you." _

_"No, I'm fine.  We still have to review that reading and we're going to need to eat."  Jack let her help pull him up.  He bent to retrieve his bag but she beat him to it._

_"How about I make you dinner.__  It's the least I can do considering you injured yourself all in the effort to talk to me."  Irina teased._

_"If you're not careful my next injury will be my pride."  Jack feigned hurt._

_"Come one, the faster we get you off that leg the faster it will heal."  Irina pulled Jack as he hobbled along._

**{END FLASHBACK}**


	20. Remind Me

****

AN: Same disclaimers Apply.I'm going to put up about three pretty big updates all within quick succession of one another. There are some kind of sexual scenes coming up in a few chapters so read at your own risk if you are over 17.

VILLA – SYROS, GREECE

Jack didn't like what his little vacation was doing to him. Memories that only dared to haunt him in his dreams were assaulting his waking hours. Years had been spent, attempting to dissolve the images of Laura but since his arrival on the island he had been unable to escape their fierceness.

From his vantage point on the second story veranda, Jack caught Irina shiver. Her towel lay beside her on a stone bench, forgotten as she swayed to the sea breeze, seemingly sweeping her thoughts away. 

Jack's feet moved of their own volition, drawn to the siren basking in the sun's eroding light. He knew she had sensed his presence when her shivers ceased to be replaced by a stone exterior. She was being cautious, unwilling to show vulnerability which was a far cry from her congenial behavior of the pervious day. 

"You'll get chilled if you stay out here much longer." Jack's words broke through the silence. He held out her towel but the gesture garnered no movement from Irina. "You're already shivering Irina, don't be obstinate." Jack opened the towel and draped it over her shoulders.

"Did you enjoy your day?" She suddenly asked, hands grasping either end of the towel as it protected her damp skin from the cooling air.

"Yes I did. This is not as horrid a place as I initially presumed it to be." Jack missed the pain flash through Irina's eyes.

"It's quite beautiful." She spoke softly.

Jack eyed her profile carefully, not sure what to make of her sullen mood. "What did you do all afternoon?" Conversation had always been difficult when she had been in one of her introspective states.

"Worked." Irina set her shoulders straighter. "Contact with my organization must be minimal at best but I can't afford to loosen my grip on any of the holdings or the infrastructure could be compromised." 

Jack kept his gaze trained on the water, unsure of whether this situation warranted small talk. It seemed absurd, considering the plethora of unresolved issues lying between them like a bed of nails. As it turned out Irina bestowed upon him a small insight into her dizzying mind.

"I like to swim at least once a day. I went too many years denying myself the pleasure of the activity. Being pregnant gives me no excuse; I should avoid high impact fitness for the next four months, swimming was my only other option." Irina's eyes had not shifted from the expanse of sea before them.

"Twenty years without feeling free enough to float must have been disheartening." Jack responded absently. He didn't know where the thought had come from but was unable to rescind it now.

"You remembered." Irina breathed, finally turning to face him.

"Not from lack of trying to forget." Jack's harsh tone did nothing to soften the words. Irina spun back around to the water.

The morning conversation they had shared came back to Jack. Irina's disappointment at being pulled from her athletic training to become an agent for the KGB suddenly felt like more than a well thought out fairytale.

"Your superiors must not have been pleased with your plan to initiate first contact." Jack decided to tread lightly to avoid the disasters of last night. 

"I had no contact with the KGB or Russia for the first seven months I was in the US." Irina's words held no emotion. 

Jack's brow furrowed. "How would they have received their information?" 

"My mission was long term; a few years, or so they told me. They didn't want my arrival to appear suspect so they informed me I would be without the security of the KGB for a while. I was given one assignment, to seduce you, and told I would be contacted to either be removed due to failure or be brief on the next stage. They didn't believe I would have any information of value to them during the first few months." 

"Didn't they see such an arrangement as dangerous? You could have deserted your mission and disappeared, leaving an agent to their own devices for months in a country, no matter how conditioned they are, implies great risk." Jack's mind reverted to that of a theorist. 

"Would you have deserted your country?" She looked directly at him. Jack's non-response was the answer she expected. "I couldn't have tossed my country aside." She paused, turning away from him. "However you are correct, it did turn out to be dangerous, only it wasn't my nationalistic loyalties that shifted, it was my personal ones." 

Irina didn't elaborate nor did Jack urge her to. In the mindset she was currently entrenched, it would be the equivalent of pulling teeth to extract the answers to the questions her comments posed. 

"I brought dinner back with me from town." Jack took in a deep breath, wary of her response.

"I'm going to shower and change. I'll be down when I'm finished, you don't need to wait." Without further comment she was ascending the outdoor stairs to her bedroom.

Irina took her time showering and dressing with two purposes. She knew Jack wouldn't eat without her, meaning her tardiness would serve to make him suffer the wait, yet there was a part of her who was opposed to returning downstairs at all. She had spent the better part of the day bored out of her mind. Her work had taken all of an hour, which left her alone and thoughtful for the remaining time. Despite women declaring their heightened intelligence during pregnancy, she was not buying it. Pregnancy served to confuse her logic and stripe her of her many learned skills. Being left to her own devices offered insanity too attractive of an opening to be ignored.

Debating her wardrobe, Irina couldn't decide what message she wanted to project while they ate. After much deliberation, she gave into her need for comfort; resulting in a pair of white cotton three-quarter length draw-string pants and a fitted tee that didn't even attempt to cover to stomach. Jack had made an effort not to hide behind his suit; she could do the same.

"Thank you for picking up dinner." Irina announced her entrance into the kitchen although she was sure Jack's honed senses had heard her approaching.

"Purely selfish motivation, I was hungry." Jack confirmed her success in tormenting him with the delay of dinner; she allowed herself only a split-seconded grin of self-satisfaction. "But you're welcome." He hastened to add, remembering their tentative cease fire agreement.

"Did you enjoy you're time investigating Arimolopous?" Irina took the same seat she had the pervious evening and inspected the food.

"It was quite interesting. Equal parts old and new Greece, quite original now a days." Jack tired to recall the day's events, before the pink bikini. "I was given the experience of a soccer game while I was in town." Jack waited for her reaction.

A wisp of a smile curved Irina's lips. "Gives an entirely different meaning to community." She nodded as though agreeing with herself.

"I picked up a book for Sydney at one of the antique stores. It was a beautiful shop." Jack added to which Irina raised an eyebrow. "I've been to just about every country this earth houses and many it no longer does. But I've never really seen them, I suppose the mission has always been my only focus." 

Irina mulled the statement over for while. "If you stop to look around, acknowledge the people, architecture, the history you wouldn't be able to do you're job. You aren't meant to see the details of life Jack, only your assignment."

For a moment her words washed over him. "Not you though." He stated firmly. "You see everything and everyone, you make a note of their humanity. In India, with our contact, I had known him for years yet never recognized his conflicting origins but you did." 

The table's two occupants stared at one another, challenging the other to break eye contact first.

"After escaping from Kashmir," Irina drew out slowly. "for a while there was….nothing." Jack twitched at her truth. "After," she started but had to stop and try again. "I began to notice all the details we're trained not to. I needed to see the humanity of those around me so I could slowly have mine returned to me." Irina lost the challenge and dropped her gaze from Jack's.

"Do you ever question your patriotism Jack?" Irina's question caught him off guard but she didn't wait for a response. "When I first arrived in the US, I couldn't have even imagined questioning my orders let alone my nationalistic ideals." She took a deep breath. "It's funny how that devote loyalty can be tossed aside when your country, your friends and mentors take your world from you. It's not soon after that they take your innocence and your heart and finally your soul."

Jack feared speaking as he thought she may not begin again. Instead he waited patiently for her to continue. He had seen the tape, he knew some of what she had endured while imprisoned but had conveniently filtered the emotion out of the images. 

"I love Russia, I always will but I don't know if I would endow myself with the title of citizen. I can't blindly adhere to the decisions one government makes; believing their governing system is most noble and just. Every country is awash in the blood of others, some, even the blood of their own people. Your country has labeled me a terrorist, my own daughter has stated as much." Jack hid a flinch at the thought. "I don't condone or mean to justify my methods but I have done nothing but emulate the activities of your country. I blackmail and bribe who I need to, I trade weapons and I gather information. And I do it all to stay alive. What does your government do it for?" Her question was elementary but startlingly poignant.

"We could spend all night arguing the semantics of governmental legitimacy in dealing with international issues." Jack leaned back in his chair.

"I'm not interested in arguing semantics. I'm not interested in arguing at all." Irina tilted her head sharply. "What gives the CIA the right to police the world and don't give me any bullshit about defensive measures. What makes the CIA more legitimate than the KGB was, or MI5 or CISC or Interpol? Is it money, because I have that; power, I have that too. What makes you so righteous? About 5.5 billion people are dying to know, in some cases literally." She spoke, as though she was listing the movies she would enjoy watching after dinner for all her emotion. 

Jack faltered. He wasn't sure how to answer her. He couldn't determine if she was looking for a debate, a retort or an honest answer. 

"I don't believe I'm able to answer to your satisfaction Irina. There are many things I've been asked to do, for which I must dispose of my moral compass and there have been things I outright disagree with." Jack focussed on the colourful flowers on the table for a long while. "I suppose in many cases the CIA is the lesser of two evils. While I may not agree with some of their actions I can assure you, there are other countries that are capable of much worse."

"The former Soviet Union being one." Irina narrowed her eyes and wait for him to take the bait.

"No." His answer rocked her very foundation. "Looking back on the years of tension between out countries, the absurdity is astounding. Both countries had similar weapons capabilities, neither with any intention of using them." Jack raised his eyebrows to emphasize his point. "The US greatly over reacted to the fear of looming communism and the USSR greatly overplayed their determination to assimilate the remaining capitalist world. I'll admit the missile transportation to Cuba got a little heated and could have instigated a travesty on the part of both countries but the situation was averted." 

Jack risked a smile at Irina's evident surprise. "Of course I can say that now, looking back on the last fifty years. Time gives one a perspective like no other." Irina returned the tentative smile. "Does that answer your question?" 

"No." Irina's blunt reply was tempered by the smile still teasing her lips. "But I've spent the better part of twenty years searching for the answer and resurfaced with an answer similar to your own." She reached for her glass.

"Are you recognizing the CIA as a legitimate enforcer of international policy? What would your minions think?" Jack said with mock surprise. 

"I believe it was you who said they were the lesser of two evils which I suppose, is a giant step up of your opinion of me." The battle of wills returned, this time Irina was not going to concede so easily.

Jack marveled at her memory. She truly was a force to be reckoned with, despite being pregnant, which from previous experience he knew tarnished her brilliance marginally. 

"You're out for blood tonight. Care to share the source? I know it can't be me, I spent the day elsewhere." Jack scrutinized. 

"I had forgotten you had sympathetic idiocy when I'm pregnant. It always did make me feel better to know I wasn't the only one losing my intellect." Before Jack could retort, Irina was out of her chair and passing through the kitchen door. 

Sighing at her theatrics, Jack followed her into the living room. He found her perusing a large collection of CDs and DVDs that had previously been enclosed in a built in cabinet.

"I've deduced you're on a mission to tear me apart for leaving today but I have yet to ascertain the reason for such a response." Jack sat on the sofa, propping one arm across the back. 

Irina spun sharply on her heels to face Jack. "You came to Greece for a reason Jack. You haven't yet shared it with me but I sure as hell know its not to see the sights. But instead of spending the day to better understand who I am, you take off. If you really don't care to hear it then you had best leave and not come back. I'm giving you every answer you could possibly want and I'm sorry if I'm not divulging it all as quickly as you'd like but I don't see any effort being made to fill me in on the last twenty years of your life." 

He had seen this movie before, Jack thought and it hadn't ended well. "I hadn't realized you were interested in how I've spent the last twenty years and any information I thought you would want you would have gotten hold of." 

Irina rolled her eyes, containing an indignant snort. "Was that while I was in prison or while I was trying to keep you, Sydney and myself from being killed? I know a little about Agent Bristow but I don't know anything about Jack." Her voice softened as she began the process of setting up the entertainment center.

"Jack ceased to exist about the same time you claim to have lost your humanity." Irina peered over her shoulder at his seriousness. "I didn't know how to live without my wife." That comment stopped Irina short. "Wasn't expecting that were you?" 

Being alone with Irina in a comfortable setting impacted Jack's thought to speech filter. Before he could check the words, they were out of his mouth, forcing he and Irina to remember a much simpler conversation.

****

{FLASHBACK}

__

The car ride home had been interesting to say the least. Irina had insisted she drive as Jack's calf may seize up again and force them off the road. She didn't have a car of her own, not having to walk far to get to campus. Jack lived all of a five-minute drive from the school yet still chose to bring the car.

He had explained that he worked some odd hours and often could be pulled from school or have to go right from the office to a class. When Irina had questioned him about his work he had replied that he worked for the government. It didn't mean much seeing as how many students worked for the government as lobbyists or political assistance.

"It's this one on your right." Jack pointed to a large relatively new building. "I've got spot number 24. I'm on the fifth floor." Jack tried not to wince as his leg radiated with pain. He found it interesting that outside the mindset of fieldwork his pain threshold was that of a normal man while he could withstand extreme torture measures at the hands of the enemy, he concluded the circumstances of pain deserved to be investigated.

As quickly as the thought came, it fled. Jack berated himself for thinking of work when a beautiful woman was on the verge of following him into his apartment. Jack sighed at his own pathetic nature and hoped he wouldn't screw the evening up worse than he already had.

Irina heard Jack sigh and suddenly felt ill. She didn't have a clue what she was doing and their lack of conversation was obviously not interesting the man beside her. She didn't really know what to talk about with men let alone what American girls would talk about. She decided she had to try and salvage the situation somehow.

"Are you going to be able to make it up five flights of stairs?" Irina put the car in park and turned off the engine.

"Actually there's an elevator in the building so I'll be fine." Jack smiled at her thoughtfulness.

"Ah, living the high life are you Bristow." She joked as she helped him out of the car.

"Nah, location is everything. It's cheaper to live around here because the students can't afford much. I have a small but consistent salary that allows me the finer things in life."

"Like an elevator." She grinned as they stepped inside.

"I was thinking more of getting a pretty girl to drive me home in my car." His smile was vibrant and took Irina by surprise.

"I've been demoted already? I was beautiful at the pool." Jack's face fell until he saw the mischief behind her eyes.

"I can't keep using the same tired word again and again. You'll start to think I'm predictable." 

"Aren't you?" Irina challenged.

"You'll have to find out." He returned, hoping he sound something akin to coy.

"I'll be waiting expectantly." The elevator signaled their arrival on the fifth floor from which they made the short trek to Jack's apartment door. "A student's bachelor apartment, should I be afraid?" Irina watched Jack slip his key into the lock and open the door. 

"What? You can't predict the appearance of my apartment." Jack held the door so she couldn't see the interior.

"Clean. Spotless actually. I'd bet you are as thorough in cleaning your home as you are at stretching." She smiled at him shamelessly, raised her eyebrows and waited to be invited in.

Jack opened the door further and held it for her as she walked in. The apartment was indeed spotless. Jack hated the clutter a mess would produce and kept the living space tidy if not clean at all times. Today he got lucky because he had spent all day Sunday cleaning, one of his rare days off.

"It's a great apartment Jack." Irina looked it over and was impressed. 

The kitchen was large, a rare find in any apartment. A dining table sat at the end of it and to the left was a large living room with sliding doors to a balcony. She cold see the bathroom at the other end of the hallway and two doors that were likely bedrooms.

"Thanks. It's a two bedroom but I converted the second bedroom into a study. I find it helps to have the place I sleep and the place I work separate." Jack was pleased she found his home impressive.

"I know, I sit at my desk to work and look over to see my bed taunting me, just waiting for me to give up my literary assignments and fall asleep." Irina didn't know if it was a false sense of security but she felt at ease in Jack's home and more specifically his presence. "So, what were you going to make tonight?" Irina placed both their swim bags and her book bag at the door.

"Chicken Parmesan and pasta." Jack looked down at his leg in disgust. His shin was noticeably swelling and turning a blue colour. "I've already got the chicken defrosting. Are you sure you want to do this?" Jack asked wearily. 

Irina wasn't sure what he meant, her self-consciousness getting the better of her. "If you're not feeling up to it, I can go. Don't feel obligated to entertain me." Her smile didn't reach her eyes.

"It's not that, I just feel horrible for inviting you over and not actually being able to do anything." Jack sat at the kitchen table, not able to hold himself up any longer.

"I told you it was not a problem. I was going to have to eat anyway and this way I know you're not going to skip dinner because you can't stand long enough to prepare anything." She stared him down. "Now, why don't you sit on the couch and I'll get you some ice." She pulled open the freezer door and located a tray.

"I'd rather stay here and talk to you." Jack watched her place the ice in a plastic bag and located a cloth towel to wrap around it. "Thank you." Jack spoke softly as she placed the ice on his shin, currently propped up on another chair at the table.

"Tell me Jack, what made you decided to bring a girl home with you who you hardly know and could quite possibly take advantage of you in your weakened state?" She asked as she searched for a baking dish.

"Bottom left cupboard. What made you Laura, a neophyte to this city, decided to drive some guy home then proceed into his apartment where he could take advantage of you despite his weakened state?" Jack countered.

Irina looked up at him from behind the open refrigerator door and smiled. "Touché."

"Not that I want to scare you away but really, what possessed you to agree to come over tonight let alone accompany me home?" Jack worried that someone might hurt her if she remained so trusting.

"You don't have to worry." She seemed to speak directly to her fears. "I don't make it a habit of going home with strange men." Her teasing grin shone over her shoulder as she worked at the counter. 

"Then-" She cut him off.

"It was your hands." She spoke to the cheese she was cutting. "You were going to ask what made me come with you, specifically." She turned sideways and caught his eye.

"Yeah, I know. Predictable." Jack rolled his eyes, forcing a laugh from Irina.

"You have great hands. Honest hands, if there is such a thing." She turned back to her cheese and Jack adjusted the ice on his leg.

"I'll admit that no one has ever given me that compliment before. But if it was my hands that got you here, who am I to complain?" Jack shrugged.

Irina put the chicken in the over to bake and started the pasta boiling before finally turning to face her crippled host. She had felt his eyes on her the entire time they had been conversing, it was strangely rewarding to know she could hold a man's interest, especially one, three years older.

The rules she had been given were extensive and detailed; however two weeks living in the US with no contact from the KGB had created quite a stir in her. Irina had no intention of disobeying her orders but they would have to be tailored slightly. The first item to be 'hemmed' on the list was, do not develop an attraction for your mark. The task seemed simple enough and she would have had no problem completing it, that was until she actually saw Jack in person. But a physical attraction wasn't a bad thing she reasoned.

"Jack, do you mind if I change? I'm still wearing my swimsuit and it's more than a little uncomfortable." 

Jack blinked as though his thoughts had been somewhere else. "Sure. You're welcome to a shower as well." He was having a difficult time believing this girl was still in his apartment after all the leading comments he had unknowingly made. 

"Thanks. I hate the feeling on dried pool water." Irina cringed mentally. 'Dried pool water' she thought, what the hell is that?

"Do you need anything else?" 

"Umm, I hate to ask but do you have a pair of pants and maybe a shirt I can borrow. I put mine on while my suit was still wet and now they smell like the water."

"Sure." Jack silently rejoiced at the idea of Laura wearing his clothing. It seemed an intimate gesture to allow someone to where his clothing but he couldn't think of anyone he'd rather see them on.

Irina followed him to the other end of the apartment and took the cloths into the bathroom with her. She hadn't gone into Jack's room but had glimpsed the inside, please to see his room was also tidy. Arriving in the US to see people with luxuries they didn't even appreciate was enough to increase the bitterness she had already felt. Then there was Jack; he seemed to appreciate everything he had, even his choice of location for their meal was telling. He wasn't interested in flaunting his money for an expensive meal, which he could cook just as easily in his own kitchen. 

Hearing the shower turn on, Jack began maneuvering around the kitchen. He shifted his weight careful so as to avoid jostling his leg more than necessary. Setting the table was a tedious task, as Jack could not decide how decorative it should be. He could really only set a table as his mother would make him for company or haphazardly as he did for himself.

Choosing the latter, Jack attempted to make it a little more enticing. For the finishing touch he placed his textbook on one of the chairs of the table so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable. There had never been any decision on whether their dinner was a date or not although he would guess she was at least interested or she wouldn't have stayed.

The door opened not fifteen minutes after it had closed, revealing a newly clothed Irina. His earlier conclusions about Laura not being like any other girl were obviously accurate. However, Jack had to concede the fact that Laura wouldn't need to spend as much time in front of the mirror as other girls, she was perfect.

"Is everything okay?" Jack asked regarding both the shower and the cloths.

"Pants are a little big in the waist and a touch too long, same goes for the t-shirt. I won't be winning any fashion awards for this ensemble but it's clean and comfortable. Thanks."

"I don't know. Looks pretty great to me." Jack took in the sight of the most beautiful woman he had never seen, wearing his cloths, standing in his apartment and looking at him. "I'm going to take a shower, all that talk of dried pool water made my skin crawl. I shouldn't be more than ten minutes and dinner looked like it was almost ready."

True to his word, Jack reappeared ten minutes later and the two sat down to dinner. They chatted a little about themselves. Jack found out Laura's parents had died when she was young and she had been living off of trust money ever since. He shared a few stories of his own past, telling her of his older brother who had died in Vietnam early in the fighting. He explained he had never really been close to him and that he was a bit of a wanderer. 

The conclusion of dinner brought a shift in location to the pair. They moved to the couch where Jack could elevate his leg.

"Here, lie across the couch and lay your leg across mine." Irina tried to get him situated on the sofa so that he would be comfortable. It ended that Jack's legs laying across Irina's in order to keep them up slightly. 

"You're not going to be able to practice for the rest of the week." She told him, inspecting the swollen area.

"I know. Definitely strained the tendon. I'll have to stay off it as much as I can for the next week and then wrap it well before I swim." Jack was mesmerized by her hands as they traced the definition in his legs softly.

"Getting off the blocks is going to hurt." She raised her eyes to showcase her worry.

"A little but I'll be fine. It doesn't hurt much now; I'm just being a baby because I have someone to look after me." Jack smiled and received a shining one in return.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?" 

"I've listened to you in class and have seen some of the class lists. You're at the top of every one you take. You don't really need help understanding that reading, do you?" Irina continued to trace the musculature of his leg.

"And you're a third year taking a forth year course, a course that allows only select people to enter. So I'm assuming you don't need any help either." Jack was tempted to reach out and touch her but was happy for now with her hands on him.

"I've never done that before. Just gone up to a guy and started talking, I'm usually more reserved and shy. But you made it different, I didn't have to talk with you and I was comfortable which made me want to talk all the more." 

"I'm still trying to wrap my brain around you being here, with me. I wasn't feeding you a line earlier, I truly believe you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met." The mood was too heavy for a first date. "And you look even better in your new outfit." He smiled and raised his eyebrows at her, eliciting a hearty laugh from her.

Without thinking it through, for fear of stopping himself, Jack leaned forward and caught her lips with his. Their lips stayed pressed together for some time, neither wanting to make the next move and possibly breaking the spell.

Not satisfied with the limits to the kiss, Irina tentatively opened her mouth under Jack's. He took the cue and ran with it, seeking out the contours of her mouth and tasting everything she had to offer. When their breathing and position became an issue they pulled apart, albeit reluctantly.

"Wasn't expecting that were you?" Jack teased, his forehead resting on Irina's.

"No, I can't say I was." She responded breathlessly. "But unexpected does in no way imply unwanted." Jack leaned in and kissed her again, holding tight to her side and the back of her neck. Irina had found no other place for he hands than around his neck, her fingers threading through the short hairs at the nape of his neck.

Using the last of her restraint, Irina pulled away. "You're going to get hurt again if we stay in this position." 

"Stupid leg." Jack whispered under his breath.

"Hey, don't curse the leg. We should be thanking that leg for holding out as long as it did, so that we could make plans to spent the evening together. Actually, I'm quite enamored by that leg right now." She swooned playfully.

"I know, but I should keep it elevated if I don't want more damage to be done but that doesn't make this," He passed his hand back and forth between them. "any easier."

Irina thought for a moment and not wanting the evening to end yet, came up with a solution for their injury problem. She got up from the sofa and stood in front of it. "Lay down." She commanded gently. "On your side with your injured leg up." Jack complied despite looking unconvinced. "Good, now shift to the back." Jack moved so his back was against the back cushions. "Nope, just a second." She leaned over him and plucked the back pillows off the back of the couch and placed the on the floor, giving Jack more room to move back against the frame.

"Now what?" Jack was none too please he had to stop touching Irina.

Not bothering to answer, Irina lay out on the couch beside Jack, nose to nose. "If you lift your top leg a little I'll slide my legs underneath so they'll be raised." In response Jack wrapped his arm around her middle and pulled her closer to him.

"You're brilliant. An absolute genius." He stopped talking as soon as he thought he could get away with kissing her. "You know this only works because you're so beautifully tall." Jack returned to plundering her mouth.

"I've been grated the position at beautiful again." Instinct took over in her interactions with Jack, enticing her to nip playful at his chin and lips.

"Always beautiful."

****

{END FLASHBACK}

Their first date had been tame and quite innocent considering both were nervous and unsure of the other's reaction. They had come a long way in thirty years but had somehow ended up on a couch in the middle of a living room. Only this time the occupants sat at either end, their history compounding their nerves for deterrent. 

"What are you thinking about?" Irina asked Jack thoughtfully.

"Nothing." Jack took his arm from the back of the couch and placed it in his lap. "What are you thinking about?" 

"Nothing." Irina copied then thought better of it. "Just the first date we ever had." She admitted.

Jack was both parts angry and stunned. He was stunned Irina had mentioned the occasion, whether she was truly thinking about it he would never know. And angry with himself for not being honest with her, after all, what harm could mentioning their first date do?

"What are we watching?" Irina had turned a movie on but it was taking a while to load.

"Whatever I put on." She said testily. 

"You have no idea what movie you put on, do you?" Jack tried to suppress the smile that was claiming his mouth.

"Just shut up and watch." Jack watched her as she avoided acknowledging him. It was truly remarkable how she managed not to age, only mature to appear more alluring and sexy than she had thirty years before.

"Always beautiful." Jack whispered.

He couldn't be sure but he thought he might have seen Irina's lips turn up in a flicker of a smile.

~TBC~

Read and Review if you like it. (-:


	21. Hurt Me

****

AN: Same disclaimers Apply.I'm going to put up about three pretty big updates all within quick succession of one another. Although I wavered slightly, I finally decided to write this song into the story. It just works too well and says exactly what I want Jack to say but know his character never would personally. The song is not mine and is Fuck It by Eamon. Again, language is a factor in rating so do caution. 

DAY 3 - GREECE   
  
Jack had woken with a start and his morning had gone downhill from there. Showering and dressing for the day had done nothing to rid his mind of the disturbing images flashing with such vivid detail.  
  
The evening before had ended on what Jack would consider a high note. He and Irina had retreated to their separate bed at the finale of the movie with only a goodnight between them. It was his dreams which had caused his distasteful mood.   
  
Jack had dreamt of Irina, watching her stroll along the beach. Her face soft and open to what the day had in store for her. He had dreamt her as Laura. But all too soon the scene has vanished, replaced with the hardened glare of Irina's gaze.   
  
He watched in stunned fascination as she was joined in his dream by a man. He was shrouded in darkness, stalking Irina with passionate motion. Jack was unable to move, cursed to bare witness to the inevitable.   
  
Irina's face lit in a feral grin, anticipating the union of herself and her companion. The scene held Jack's rapt attention as the man plundered Irina's mouth with his own. Cloths were shed with abandon, Jack still unable to look away.   
  
Nausea worked its way into Jack's senses at watching Irina whoring herself so unencumbered. The shadows had vanished suddenly to reveal the face of the man draped possessively over her.  
  
Cuvee.  
  
Bile had risen so far in his throat; Jack had rushed to the bathroom the moment his eyes opened. He shook with the effort to cast away the horrific vision of Irina withering beneath the euphoric man.   
  
The dream had served to wake his memory to the despicable acts Irina had committed over the years. She had likely enjoyed pimping herself out to the highest bidder; the price had obviously been worth it. Her organization was an undisputable empire of success. The dream had not been a revelation to Jack but it had rattled him and recaptured his mistrust in Irina's truths.  
  
Had his appointment with the lab not been for eight in the morning, Jack figured he might have remained in his room all day, unwilling and unfit to set eyes on the subject of his torment. However, his inherent curiosity urged him to descend the stairs and travel to the hospital.   
  
"Are you sure? Demands? I agree. I'll take care of it; don't proceed until you've heard from me. It will receive my totally attention. You know I'd do anything for you. Promise me you won't do anything to jeopardize what I'm offering you. Good, take care and I'll talk to you soon."   
  
Jack watched as Irina hung up the phone. She raised her hand to wipe away the moisture that had fallen to her cheeks. Her tone had been soothing and intimate toward the person on the other end, so different than how she spoke to him. The phone call was just one more nail in the coffin of her trustworthiness; she obviously had someone waiting for her after she was through making him suffer.  
  
Pounding the floor steadily to announce his entry into the kitchen, Jack pushed the thoughts aside.  
  
"Good morning." Irina attempted a tentative smile, not returned by Jack. "I didn't really make breakfast for myself but there is some toast and fresh fruit if you'd like." She indicated the table.  
  
Jack's face was impassive, a cold mask of professionalism in place of expression. "I'm not hungry." His words were clipped.  
  
Irina scrutinized him with a perceptive gaze. "You should eat something if you're going to get blood drawn today." She hoped to jar him from his bitterness.  
  
"I'll be fine, no sense pretending to worry." Jack grabbed a glass from the cupboard, filling it with water.  
  
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." She stifled the crude retort to his words.  
  
"No, the wrong side of the world." Jack downed the glass swiftly. "I'm wasting my time here; I should be working."  
  
"And here I thought you were finding your time here enlightening." Irina's eye narrowed.  
  
Jack let out a biting chuckle. "The test is today Irina. You can't keep this charade up for much longer. We both know the likelihood of the child being mine is undoubtedly low."  
  
"So why are you even going then?" Indignation flood Irina's tone.  
  
"Because unlike you, if there is even a slim chance the child is mine, I'm not going to abandon he or she with a cheap whore of a mother who would sooner drown her children than care for them."  
  
The resounding crack of Irina's palm against his cheek was the noise Jack expected; instead he was bombarded by an eerie silence that swathed the kitchen. His mind jumped to the next angry words he was ready to spout, missing the pale wash to Irina's face.   
  
"How much is your body worth Irina? A good f*** for the codes to one of the US weapons lockers? What about a blowjob for access to Echelon? I'm sure you would make it worth my act of treason."  
  
Irina was sure the granite counter-top would give way under the strength of her grip. It was serving two purposes: the first was the keeping her hands from seizing Jack's neck, the second was to keep herself upright as her legs weakened beneath her.  
  
"I got you a present." Jack smiled maniacally, turned and walked toward the living room. "I heard this yesterday while I was in town. I guess you could say it struck a cord, so I bought it. In the spirit of explanations through song, I thought this only fitting. Not my genre of music but it gets my point across." Jack placed the CD in the stereo and hit play. "I've got an appointment to get to. Enjoy."   
  
His parting words were so controlled Irina almost forgot his previously ruthless utterances. The front door shook the foundation of the house with the furry of Jack's exit, startling Irina from her motionless state. The base of the song beat unforgivably in her ears, causing her to stain to hear the resentful lyrics.   
  
  
_See, I don't know why I liked you so much  
I gave you all, of my trust  
I told you, I loved you, now that's all down the drain  
Ya put me through pain, I wanna let u know how I feel  
  
  
F*ck what I said it don't mean s*** now  
F*ck the presents might as well throw em out  
F*ck all those kisses, they didn't mean jack  
F*ck you, you hoe, I don't want you back  
  
F*ck what I said it don't mean s*** now  
F*ck the presents might as well throw em out  
F*ck all those kisses they didn't mean jack  
F*ck you, you hoe, I don't want you back  
  
You thought, you could  
Keep this s*** from me, yeah  
Ya burnt b*tch, I heard the story  
Ya played me, ya even gave him head  
Now ya askin' for me back  
Ya just another hag, look elsewhere  
Cuz ya done with me  
  
F*ck what I said it don't mean s*** now  
F*ck the presents might as well throw em out  
F*ck all those kisses they didn't mean jack  
F*ck you, you hoe, I don't want you back  
  
F*ck what I said it don't mean s*** now  
F*ck the presents might as well throw em out  
F*ck all those kisses they didn't mean jack  
F*ck you, you hoe, I don't want you back  
  
Oh oh  
Uh huh yeah  
Oh oh  
Uh huh yeah  
Oh oh  
Uh huh yeah  
Oh oh  
Uh huh yeah  
  
Ya questioned, did I care  
You could ask anyone, I even said   
Ya were my great one  
Now its, over, but I do admit I'm sad.  
It hurts real bad, I can't sweat that, cuz I loved a hoe  
  
F*ck what I said it don't mean s*** now  
F*ck the presents might as well throw em out  
F*ck all those kisses they didn't mean jack  
F*ck you, you hoe, I don't want you back_  
  
  
The hate was palatable; Irina wavered, catching herself on the counter to stop herself from an ungraceful descent the floor. Making it just in time, Irina emptied the contents of her stomach into the kitchen sink.   
  
Dry heaves kept her leaning over the sunken basin. Her heart beat furiously against her chest, desperate to legitimize the heartbreak her soul felt. With a shaky hand, she turned on the tap, watching with fascination as her breakfast swirled down the drain.  
  
Careful to hold tight to the edge of the counter and pieces of furniture, Irina made her way into the living room. Her steps were slow and calculated, trying to orient herself within the dizzying space; her vision blurred behind the glassy sharpness of her tears.  
  
Taking a shuddering breath, Irina grasped the vase from the living room table, weighing the crystal in her hands. She closed her eyes against the torrent of emotion slipping through her lashes. The vase flew through the air with a quick twist of her body. The sound of it contacting the wall was met with a startled sob from its executioner.  
  
Three shelves of decorative plates, collected from Asia drew her attention next. Irina reached out with a gentle grasp, caressing the surface of the ornate piece before hurling it to its death. One by one, the rest of the plates joined the burial site, followed by the crystal candle sticks on the mantle.  
  
With nothing left to shatter in the living room, Irina made for the stairs. Her growing girth didn't bother the precision of her stride as she stalked into Jack's room. The closet doors heeded to her force, revealing Jack's clothing. She grabbed a handful of the different fabrics and walked through her own bedroom and out the patio doors.   
  
From her position a storey above the pool, one by one each item was tossed over the side of the patio and into the water below. When the closet no longer housed Jack's clothing Irina's smooth maneuvers took hold of his toiletries. Stepping back to allow herself a windup, Irina heaved the heavy bag over the edge of the cliff, narrowly missing the highest point of the electric fence.  
  
Satisfied with the results of her emotional tirade, Irina took two deep breaths and wiped her eyes. Her shoulders set with determination as she moved into her bedroom. Sitting on the side of her bed, she picked up the phone and dialed a memorized number.  
  
  
**HOSPITAL, SYROS**  
  
Jack arrived at the hospital high on anger and low on patience. The walk through the front doors transformed him into a worried and anxious husband, hopeful to discover something that could save his life.  
  
The young woman at the front desk directed him to Dr. Maridakos' office and lab. She had not given him a second look which was understandable considering the tourism the island experienced.   
  
Jack knocked on the open lab door politely, crossing the threshold when he heard the invitation. The lab was quite an amazing sight. Every station was organized and carefully laid out, displaying the many pieces of state of the art equipment.  
  
"Dr. Maridakos?" Jack walked further into the room.  
  
"Ah. Mr. Bristow, I've been expecting you." Jack bit the inside of his cheek to halt the cringe from appearing on his face when he realized Irina had used Bristow as her 'alias'. He had to grudgingly admit it was likely the one name the CIA would not think to investigate.   
  
"It's nice to meet you and very kind of you to allow me to be present during the procedure." Jack shook the man's hand pleasantly.   
  
"I am happy to have the company. And please call me Peter." Jack recognized the slight New York accent to his English. "Well, let's get started right away." He motioned for Jack to take a seat and prepared his arm for the needle.   
  
"You're not from Greece originally?" Jack inquired as Peter drained the blood into a vile.   
  
"No, I was born in New York and educated there but I decided to practice here. The weather is much nicer here." He said with a smile.  
  
"You weren't fond of the US?" Jack watched the dark red fluid as it filled the forth tube.  
  
"I love the US but there was something about Greece that called to me. I still have a home in New York. My wife and I usually spend August and part of the spring there." Peter withdrew the needle from Jack's arm and placed a cotton patch over it to quell the bleeding.  
  
"Are you familiar with the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test? We'll use a DQ alpha locus to determine the length and location of the polymarkers." Peter took Jack's blood to the station farthest from the door.  
  
"I'm familiar with the test but I've never done it myself. I've watched the RFLP done." Jack's eyes followed the lab technician. "As I understood it, the RFLP was more accurate than the PCR."  
  
"Some people believe so, but I don't subscribe to that brand of reasoning. In fact, the degradation of the sample in the RFLP over the time it takes to get the results could corrupt the findings. But I'll do which ever one you choose." Peter looked up as Jack came to stand behind him.  
  
"What is the time factor for both?" The doctor was easily the same age as Jack if not a few years old, his hair white with age but his skin mark only by the occasional wrinkle. The man had an enormous amount of energy that seemed to ebb from him with ever move.  
  
"The PCR can be done in eight hours but the RFLP will take at least until the end of next week." Peter had already begun preparing Jack's sample and the amniotic fluid to be tested by PCR.  
  
"Is it possible to do them both? Cost isn't an issue." He assured the man.  
  
"It's fine. I'll start work on the PCR right now." Peter went to work, aware of Jack's vigilant presence in the room. "If you don't mind my asking, why did you and your wife move to Greece and more specifically the island?"   
  
"We both have a tendency to overwork. When we found out my wife was pregnant, we both thought it best if she avoid the stresses of our work by getting away. I stayed in the states and continued to work until I found out I might be sick. My wife insistent I join her here and look into the possibility of stem cells as treatment. I'll have to go back in just under two weeks though." Jack tried not to think too much about the lies he was perpetrating.   
  
"Would I be correct in assuming this pregnancy was a surprise to both of you?" Peter smiled gently.  
  
"To me definitely, my wife, I'm not sure." Jack's mouth tightened when he realized his slight blunder. Hopefully Peter would not question him further about Irina's knowledge of the pregnancy.  
  
"I can sympathize somewhat. Two weeks after I turned fifty-four my wife who was forty-eight at the time announced she was pregnant. Even as a doctor I could wrap my mind around becoming a father again in my mid fifties." Peter shared a smile with Jack. "I never told my wife but I was terrified I was going to make a mess of the child; I felt like a first time father all over again."  
  
"My wife and I had some rough times during her pregnancy. I was terrified of being a tired and awful father, and what I didn't know was that she was just as scared. She didn't think she was going to have the energy to keep up with the baby, nor did she think she would be around long enough for her." Peter caught Jack's eye in understanding.  
  
"But as soon as our baby girl arrived in the delivery room all my fears disappeared. Everything flooded back and although some of the worries remained as they do with most fathers of little girls, I was able to relax a little more. I don't work as much as I used to and I am able to enjoy my children more than I ever had before." Peter was beaming at Jack as he thought of his family.   
  
"I can understand the tension and problems in the marriage. My wife and I can't seem to communicate at all. I don't know where she stands where the baby is concerned or me. Although fear is the last thing she is feeling." Jack stated resolutely.   
  
"I think the mind of a woman is surprising sometimes, they feel fear more acute than anyone else but are more adapt at hiding it." Peter suggested.  
  
"You don't know my wife." Jack grinned, and found himself meaning the comment.  
  
"This has to sit for a while. We can get started on the RFLP. I'll mix the restriction enzymes and then we can sort the strands according to size in the gel. The electric current will have to run through it for a while." Peter explained. He moved to the other side of the lab with Jack hot on his heels.   
  
  
**CIA TASK FORCE HEADQUARTERS – L.A.**  
  
The briefing room filled quickly, five minutes after Kendall had called the impromptu meeting. The CIA had received an anonymous call through several channels, alerting them to a dangerous situation brewing.  
  
Marshall was the last to arrive, taking his seat in a flurry of brown and green. The look Kendall tossed his way told him spoke volumes of annoyance, causing the nervous man to sweat.  
  
"Well, now that we're all here we can get started." His twitched on the files before him. "It was brought to our attention one hour ago that a Sudanese militia group has kidnapped Kofi Annan's wife, Nane and three children. For those of you not familiar with Mr. Annan, he is the Secretary General currently sitting on the Security Council of the United Nations."  
  
"Were there any demands made?" Sydney inquired.  
  
"The group has demanded all interest be waved on their debt by the IMF and the World Bank." Kendal rubbed his scalp in frustration.  
  
"What about the principle amount?" Weiss looked up from the files in front of him.  
  
"They haven't asked it to be lifted. As far as we can tell, they are still willing to pay it." Kendall looked dismayed at the thought.  
  
"So what's the big deal? Why doesn't he just agree to have them lift the interest payments and allow the Sudanese to pay their principle debt?" Sydney wondered aloud.  
  
"The Security Council is not in the habit of negotiating with kidnappers. A special request has come down from the Director at Langley that we are to find and retrieve the Secretary's wife and children. Nane is a lawyer, originally from Sweden; she has been influential in the education of women and the state of African countries. It seems to be one of the reasons she and the children were targeted." Kendall passed out the remaining files in front of him. "Our intel indicates the group may have taken their prisoners to a small facility in Botswana." A satellite image of the facility appeared on the large screen in the briefing room. "Sydney, you have been selected specifically for this mission, by the director and by Mr. Annan."   
  
Eyebrows were raised around the table, directed at Sydney and Kendall. Sydney sat up a little straighter as the information washed over her. The head of the United Nations was entrusting her to find his family; failure was not going to be an option.  
  
"You're team has been assembled, Vaughn, Weiss you're on base ops. You'll have time to finish briefing yourselves on the plane to Botswana. Time is of the essence people and if we fail the strength of the Security Council could be at risk." Kendall made sure to never understate the importance of success to the agents.  
  
"Plane leaves in forty minutes." He dropped his head to scrutinize the files on the desk, dismissing the people in the room.  
  
  
**UNDISCLOSED LOCATION – BOTSWANA**  
  
Sydney pressed herself against the wall of the facility, hoping the darkness would offer her cover from the roaming guards. The facility was barely five thousand square feet, which meant fewer guards went a long way.   
  
She waited for the signal from Dixon that the five guards patrolling the perimeter had been tranquilized, before moving into the building. The inside was a maze of staircases and narrow hallways, all twisting in an effort to confuse her.   
  
Feeling the air shift behind her, Sydney move quickly to the right and dodged the butt of a guard's gun. In response, she delivered a kick to his solar plexus and a roundhouse to the side of his head.   
  
The second main level guard turned the corner from one of the rooms, only to encounter the toe of Sydney's shoe. A crack echoed off the hallow walls, indicating his broken nose. He was able to hit her twice in the stomach but her strength and agility overpowered him, sending him to the floor.  
  
The trip up the many short flights of stairs calmed her adrenaline rush marginally but the tow guards waiting for her at the landing, didn't have a chance either way. The first one had gone down pretty easily; however the second had gotten time to raise his gun and fire. Sydney used the unconscious guard to shield her while grasping the end of her own.   
  
Two shots were fired: the first to his hand and the second at his abdomen. The door to the only room on the top floor was locked but Sydney blew through it with little effort. A sudden scream from inside confirmed the victims were being held in the small room.  
  
"It's okay. I'm here to help you." She tried to placate them. She wasn't able to see their faces well in the darkness, but she could make out a blonde middle-aged woman and three young adult children.  
  
"Don't untie us." The woman rushed to utter, her English slightly accented. "They attached the bonds to explosives."   
  
"Mountaineer to Boot Camp. I need an explosive expert in here now. Repeat, the package is wired." Sydney called into her radio.  
  
"Check that Mountaineer, sending in the expert now."   
  
Dixon had already been headed into the building, after hearing Sydney's call to Vaughn. He raced up the stairs and took in the scene quickly.   
  
"Syd, the charges are sent on simultaneous detonation. We'll have to disconnect the fuse at the same time." Dixon indicated the explosives set on the other side of the room. "One the count of three we go." He stated to which he received a sharp nod in return.  
  
"One." He said.  
  
"Two." Sydney counted.  
  
"Three." Dixon and Sydney both broke the circuits on the charges without a problem.  
  
"Help me get them untied." She urged Dixon. Sydney crouched down in from of the older woman and untied her bonds.  
  
The woman took in Sydney's features carefully, cataloguing and identifying each one. "I had a feeling she would send someone but I never would have guessed it would be you." She spoke to Sydney softly. "Kofi wouldn't have been able to organize this kind of rescue."  
  
Sydney stopped for a moment and considered the woman's words. She was sure she had never met her before yet she spoke with a certain familiarity.   
  
"His position in the UN wouldn't allow this kind of force to be used on our behalf and it would have taken the Council weeks to agree on a plan of action." She continued.  
  
"We received an anonymous tip from a reliable source. The UN may not have been able to execute this mission but the CIA could." Sydney finished releasing the ties.  
  
The woman jumped up and raced to her three children, holding them tightly in her arms. She and Dixon watched the scene with satisfaction. A moment later the fair woman had turned and pulled Sydney into her embrace.   
  
"It is an honor to finally meet you. You're even more beautiful than she described." Sydney looked wide-eyed over her the woman's should at Dixon. "Thank you for helping us."  
  
"We have to get you home to your husband." Dixon stifled a chuckle at Sydney's dumbfounded expression.  
  
"Kofi will be so pleased to meet you." Dixon and Sydney helped the four family members out of the building and into their waiting transport.  
  
Dixon and Sydney spoke in hushed words, trying to make sense of Mrs. Annan's reaction to her presence and why there had been recognition in her tone.  
  
  
**HOSPITAL – SYROS**  
  
It had taken eight hours but finally Peter had announced the completion of the PCR. He promised to phone Jack as soon as the RFLP was complete but he doubted the results would differ any.   
  
Turning Jack toward the large monitor in the corner of the lab, Peter put the samples on the screen. As the images appeared Peter explained the similarities he had been looking for between the two samples.  
  
"I found something a little surprising in the results, but I think it would help the explanation if I showed you." Peter glanced sideways at Jack, in measured concern.  
  
The results streamed out on the side of the screen as the samples were pushed over top of one another on the monitor. The results Peter was talking about were apparent suddenly, knocking the wind out of Jack.   
  
Composing himself enough for a hateful and acidic curve of his lips, Jack spoke the resentment he felt. "Surprise, surprise."

~TBC~

Read and Review (-:


	22. Touch Me

****

AN: Same disclaimers Apply.** WARNING** This chapter contains sexual content that is not appropriate for those under age. Use your own discretion as to whether you are mature enough for the material. It can easily be jumped over and is not paramount to the continuation of the story. Hope Every one Enjoys it.

EN ROUTE TO VILLA – SYROS, GREECE  
  
Jack had refocused enough to thank Dr. Maridakos for allowing him to view the procedure and was assured he would be called as soon as the RFLP results were in. Dr. Maridakos was hopeful the results of that test would have a different outcome than the PCR.  
  
With a twenty minute drive ahead of him, Jack figured he could take the time to sort out his thoughts. The three days he had spent on the island had seemed surreal; a product of a combined dream and nightmare. For the first time in his adult life, Jack wanted desperately to call his daughter for support.   
  
His existence had become one great spectacle to behold. Nothing was simple or concrete, not even claims of paternity could be believed. Jack yearned for the days of old, when the words his wife spoke could be believed and trusted; where those words were his greatest truth.  
  
  
**_{FLASHBACK}_**  
  
_A year of married life had done nothing to dull Jack's hunger for his wife. The thirteen months since exchanging their vows merely solidified their emotional and physical relationship. His missions with the Agency were many in number but short on length, giving him plenty of time to send with Laura.   
  
His wife had begun work on her dissertation for her doctorate, hoping to have it completed by the end of the spring semester. She split her time working as an associate professor at UMBC and writing her thesis from the comfort of their home.   
  
Three weeks before her final school year commenced they had moved into a three-bedroom apartment in Jack's building. Laura had expressed her love for the beauty of the complex but felt she needed an office of her own to work out of. Jack had let her take command of their move and organize the rental of the new unit, as he conveniently spent the greater part of their moving month on business.  
  
Sighing with relief, Jack ticked off the final day of the week, thankful he wasn't a weekend employee unless there was an emergency. He couldn't wait to see Laura after the boring day he had been forced to endure. But there was a little snag in his bliss.   
  
For the past week Laura had asked him to read what she had written of her thesis and critique it. After long days reading intelligence and going over endless files he was loath to set eyes on another piece of paper but like the dutiful husband he was, he always tried to get through it.  
  
The past few nights he had read the first page and the last two but couldn't seem to concentrate long enough to get through the middle of the paper, so he skipped it. Tonight he was determined to read the entire thing, whether he lapsed into a coma or not.   
  
"Laura!" He called as he walked in the door.  
  
"Study!" She returned.   
  
Jack dropped his briefcase at the front hall making a mental note to take it into his office later that evening and proceeded down the hallway to his wife.  
  
"Still working?" He leaned against the doorframe with a smile.   
  
"I'm actually just about to take a break." She greeted him with a lingering kiss. "I missed you today." She pulled his tie loose from around his neck, throwing it over her chair and undid the top two buttons on his shirt.  
  
"I miss you everyday." Jack wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her until she pulled back.  
  
"Do you have the energy to look through my thesis again tonight? Dinner will be ready in an hour and I'm just going to watch TV until I decompress enough to eat." Laura played with the lapels on the suit jacket he still wore.  
  
"Sure. Why don't you go relax for a while and I'll finish reading the paper." Jack kissed her forehead.   
  
"Thanks Sweetheart. And maybe this time you can read the middle of the paper instead of just the beginning and end?" Laura batted her eyelashes, mocking him.  
  
Jack's eye widened. "How did you know I haven't read the middle of the paper?"   
  
"Let's just say I didn't get the response I would have expected from you if you had." She nipped at his chin playfully, kissed his cheek and retreated to the living room to watch TV.   
  
Jack watched after her before sitting in her chair and picking up the paper, already twenty pages thick. What worried him was that the pages he held were only the introduction. Resigning himself to his fate, he striped himself of his jacket and began the arduous task of reading.  
  
By the forth page he was already feeling his brain begin to numb from the effort to focus but the second paragraph caught his attention. Encased in brackets in the middle of one of her sentences Laura had written something else.  
  
[Jack, I'm pregnant]  
  
The sentence continued at the closure of the brackets as though the written words had not just changed his life. Jack remained seated for a few minutes longer, his mouth unable to close as the torrent of his thoughts remained centered on the page. Time passed quickly and before he knew it, he was out of the chair and standing in front of Laura in the living room.  
  
"Is it true?" He voice was barely more than a whisper.  
  
"That people will consciously or subconsciously miss or skip the middle of a story, paper or article: yes. And often times it is the most important and life-altering part of the author's work." Laura maintained a straight face although relieved her husband had finally read the forth page.  
  
"We're having a baby." Jack dropped down beside her on the couch.   
  
"About seven months from now." The exertion was too great to keep her smile at bay. Laura lit up with the force of her happiness. "Isn't it incredible?" She grabbed his hands.  
  
"Unbelievable." Jack breathed. He captured her in a crushing hug and managed to take her lips with his own. "Aren't you worried at all?" Jack asked once he had pulled away.  
  
"Terrified. But I've got you and we'll be alright." She kept smiling brightly, eliciting a similar one from her husband.  
  
"You're amazing." He kissed her again, holding her close for as long as he could.  
  
After a few minutes lost in each other and their joy on the couch, Laura had laid her forehead upon his. "Jack, honey?"   
  
"Yeah."   
  
"You still haven't finished reading my paper." Laura couldn't reign in the laughter that materialized at seeing the look on Jack's face._  
  
**_{END FLASHBACK}_**  
  
  
Jack wished for his young naivete once more; more than happy to live an existence that was ignorant as opposed to tormented. The saddest thing about the memory was the piece of paper he still kept locked in one of his drawers at home, proclaiming the conception of his daughter.   
  
The memory also served up a moment of remorse for the hateful comments he had directed at Irina that morning but it only lasted until the dreams from the night before resurfaced. Twenty years of treachery, three days of half-truths and glimpses of understanding could not erase the hurt he felt over Irina's activities in the past. Whether out of desperation or want, selling her body to the highest bidder was not something he was willing to overlook.  
  
The day was hot, reaching records for the evening warmth but it was nothing compared to the inferno he faced when he arrived at the villa. Spending even one more hour with Irina could prove to be fatal, although to whom he wasn't sure.  
  
Leaving the island from the hospital had crossed Jack's mind but it would not do to leave Irina with only his hurtful parting words. He had a new plan of action with respect to Irina; one he hoped would get him everything out of her he wanted.  
  
  
**VILLA**  
  
Irina looked at the clock on the oven, its red numbers screaming six-thirty at her. She had spent the day cleaning up the debris from her living room tirade. The tiny shards of crystal had been difficult to capture but eventually she felt safe to walk barefoot on the floor. Jack's cloths, however, had not been rescued from the pool nor did she have any intention of scooping them out.  
  
Receiving a sharp kick in her side, Irina looked down and smiled. "Okay, I'm going to make dinner right now. Don't worry; I wouldn't give your father the satisfaction of making me lose my appetite."   
  
Tugging on the fridge door exposed all of the meal options Irina had at her disposal. "Let's give daddy a special surprise for dinner tonight, I'm sure he'll need it after his day at the lab. What do you think?" She tapped her fingers against her stomach, getting a kick in response. "Well then, we should get to work." Items accumulated on the counter in preparation of the evening meal.  
  
Jack walked through the front door at seven thirty into the sweet aroma of lamb, roasted potatoes and braised vegetables. He wasn't sure what he had expected after his outburst earlier that morning but a warm meal was not even in the ballpark of ideas.  
  
The living room looked slightly barren and colourless in comparison to the morning. A few of the items Irina had displayed in the room were missing, taking with them the vibrant accenting hues.  
  
"Irina?" He called.  
  
"Kitchen." Was her faint reply.  
  
Jack pushed his muscles to comply with his brain and walk toward the kitchen.  
  
"What's all this?" Jack eyed the many dishes on the counters and the fee already on the table.  
  
"Dinner."   
  
Figuring he wasn't going to elicit more than monosyllabic responses from her, Jack moved out of her way. From his place beside the table he glimpsed the passive pallet masking as her face, completely devoid of emotion.  
  
"What happened in the living room?" His hands grasped the back of a kitchen chair.  
  
"I decided to go with a different motif." Her words were rushed and unchecked, not as calculating as she usually sounded.   
  
"Sit." She commanded gently.   
  
Jack complied, dishing out the food in sizable portions onto his plate. "You made all my favorites." He acknowledged.  
  
"I suppose I did."   
  
"You hate lamb." He added.  
  
"And you love it." Irina looked directly at him after taking her seat.  
  
"Thank you." Jack spoke into his plate.  
  
The glimmer of regret he had for the morning blossomed with every bite he took of his meal. The weight of the test results sat heavy between them for the better part of dinner, until Jack could tolerate the agonizing stand-off no longer.   
  
"The baby is mine." The words echoed in the otherwise still house.  
  
Irina's head remained down but her eyes jumped up, heavy under her brow. "Help me out Jack; it's been a while since I've used certain English expressions. What's the one I'm looking for in this instance?"  
  
"I told you so?" Jack raised his eyebrows, implying innocence.  
  
"Nope, not it." Irina pretended to ponder the thought. "You're an ass." She quirked an eyebrow. "Yes, that is the one."   
  
"I'm sorry if I'm not inclined to give you the benefit of the doubt. You've been using your body for information for so long, how was I to know it the baby was truly mine?"  
  
The bark of laughter Irina released was enough to make Jack drop his fork. "Where ever did you get an idea like that?" Jack appeared unimpressed. "I must say, I not only resent the comment and take affront but it is belittling to women in our business."   
  
Irina placed her fork down, adopting a regal posture within her seat. "You've seen Sydney use sex appeal to draw in her target for information but she has never slept with anyone for it, at least not that I know of." She eyed Jack for a sign she was wrong but received only a nod of affirmation. "I am just as capable of making myself appealing enough to pull the informant in and getting the intel before he or she, as the case may be, gets within a foot of me."  
  
"Would you like some insight into the last twenty years of my sex life?" Irina ground out a little harder, pleased with the cringed Jack wasn't quite able to cover. "It didn't exist."   
  
"Pardon?" Jack leaned forward.  
  
"The 'sexual experiences' of Irina has been a closed book for twenty years, until Panama of course."   
  
"I find that hard to believe." Jack was still trying to assimilate the concept behind her words.  
  
"Really." Irina drew out. "After what you saw of my imprisonment at Kashmir, you find it hard to believe I would have an aversion to sex?" Irina folded her hands on top of the table. Comprehension dawned in Jack's eyes, fanning the flames of his regret.   
  
"The first year after I escaped, I lived as a recluse. In part to hide from the KGB and CIA as well as avoid human contact. I felt dirty and worthless, marked with the perversion of the men of that facility. It was in my second year that I found Rambaldi." Irina admitted solemnly. "I thought he was the answer to all of my injustice and pain. I devoted five years of my life to studying his works, immersing myself so deeply in his ideas and theories that they had become an extension of me." Irina dropped her eyes to investigate the surface of the table. "I may resent Rambaldi for stealing five years of my life but what I must appreciate, was that in the end it was his works that saved me."   
  
Jack didn't seem to follow her explanation, cocking an eyebrow to urge Irina to elaborate. "At the end of that first year I was six foot and ninety pounds. I wasn't able to eat, or sleep. I couldn't look at myself in the mirror because all I saw was a hollow whore who wasn't even worthy of her own child."   
  
Jack's stomach rolled as he heard a variation of his words from the morning tossed back at him. He realized, if Irina were a weaker person his words would have sent her over the precipice of sanity, never to return. With that thought, the guilt began creeping up his spine. Irina didn't seem to notice the change in Jack's demeanor, as she was engrossed in telling her story.  
  
"Rambaldi may have given me a false hope but for five years it was all the hope I had. At the conclusion of those years, when I recognized Rambaldi for the delusional, lonely man he was I may not have been ready to take my own life but sex was the furthest thing from my mind. Having your body violated in such a manner is not something you get over quickly if ever."   
  
While her account made sense, Jack's dream made one more appearance in his conscious thought. "Cuvee?"  
  
"One of my many male callers while I was imprisoned. The sick bastard thought I wanted it and he believed as much even twenty years later. It took all of my will power not to vomit when he touched me a few months ago. My only consolation was that if I didn't cooperate he would likely do to Sydney what he did to me."   
  
Shuddering at the thought, Jack closed his eyes to bring order to his emotions. "In some ways I suppose you're right though, my body was used to service many while I was in prison." A shrug accompanied the comment.  
  
"No." Jack swallowed hard. "What they did to you in that prison was not what I meant. Being raped is not something I would ever condemn you for. It is an act so despicable it isn't worth the energy of your explanation. I have never been so wrong about anything in my life Irina."  
  
"Well then, you have your answer." Irina stood from the table cautiously, Jack mirroring her actions.  
  
"You didn't seem troubled in Panama when we made-" Jack fumbled subtlety. "Had sex."   
  
"I knew you wouldn't hurt me." Irina allowed her eyes to meet Jack's. "It wasn't that I had gone twenty years without a man's touch; I had gone twenty years without your touch. I wasn't going to let an opportunity to rectify that to pass me by." Had the kitchen been drafty Jack wouldn't have heard her low spoken words. "I hadn't felt desire in two decades and then I saw you. The feeling was so foreign to me I thought I was ill. But I suppose it doesn't take the body long to remember."   
  
"When we were together, before and after we were married, were you….." Jack's stomach burned with the implied question, guilt from his earlier remarks not allowing him to finish the sentence.  
  
"I was never with anyone else while we were together. My superiors, thankfully, took my assignment with you seriously. They weren't about to jeopardize my position by extending the nature of my duties. That happens to include the murders of numerous CIA agents."  
  
"You confessed to the murders Irina." Jack rolled his eyes at her denial.  
  
"In your own words that was a manipulation. And I couldn't very well blame a dead man for the crimes without proof to back up my story. I have an inkling the CIA wouldn't have been too interested in wasting funds proving my innocence." Crossing her arms over her chest, Irina walked toward the patio doors.  
  
"Who is responsible then?" Jack called after her.  
  
"Khasinau. He had been the one to recruit me into the KGB and he felt protective of my position. He saw the extra curricular assignments Russia was giving me as an oversight. He told me not to worry about them and that he would take care of the problem. When I gained power as 'The Man' Khasinau approached me, blackmailed me into making him my second in command." Irina answered Jack's unasked question. "He was going to expose me for the 'gutless fraud' that I was to my employees and business associates. He exploited the fact that I didn't kill those agents until finally I killed him." Irina smiled ironically. "Apparently I'm not as gutless as Alexander presumed."  
  
"And you have proof?" Jack walked with her outside.  
  
"There are dates of deaths for all of the agents. I have solid alibis for ten of them. The other two I don't; however, it would go to pattern and Khasinau definitely had one."   
  
"Total disfigurement." Jack frowned at the sharp pain still biting at his stomach.  
  
"You've got the answer to many of your questions Jack. In regard to my sexual activities: I wasn't with anyone else thirty years ago, I haven't been with any since my experiences in Kashmir and if you can think back to our first time together, I'm sure you'll find yourself sufficiently enlightened as to my complete sexual history."  
  
  
**_{FLASHBACK}_**  
  
_Although Jack and 'Laura' had been dating for four months, their time together had been somewhat limited. Jack's time was already pulled in ten different directions without adding a girlfriend to the mix. Irina knew enough not to complain about his schedule or the mere hours they spent together each week.  
  
She found herself living for the weekends when Jack was not cramming for a final or rushing to complete an assignment and instead was focused on her. She knew that as an agent she should not want the undivided attention of her mark nor should she miss him when he was not a phone call away but the eighteen year old in her craved the safety and warmth his embrace held.   
  
Exams had ended for Christmas with many of the students already escaping the campus. Jack was not leaving until the twentieth of the month, choosing to spend the last four days in town with Irina.   
  
For all of the forwardness their first date possessed, they were still quite innocent in their affections for each other, neither taking the step to initiate anything more intimate. That all changed the evening after their last swim practice of the year.  
  
"Jack, would you mind-" Irina was cut off.  
  
"You go shower and I'll start on dinner." He captured her lips in a soft kiss that quickly turned into more. Their kisses of late had been turning more passionate, startling both of them.  
  
"I like cooking with you. You've been working so much this past month, we barely have time to say hi, let alone prepare a meal." Irina slid closer in Jack's arms. "I've missed you lately." She spoke shyly.  
  
"I've missed you too." Jack's lips trailed a slow path down the side of her neck, his hands playing at the hem of her t-shirt. "I don't want to waste time preparing a meal; I have some leftovers from last night that we can heat up. I'd rather kiss you than cook with you." Jack kissed the smile on her lips.   
  
"Leftovers sound good." Irina breathed a sigh as his tongue ran the length of her jaw, stopping to press tiny kisses along the way. She pulled away reluctantly, running her hands down his chest. "I'm going to have a shower." She leaned in to kiss him softly before retreating to the bathroom.  
  
Jack took a moment to slow his breathing and calm his racing heart. It was getting harder and harder to pull away from Irina but she hadn't given any indication she as ready to sleep with him. He prided himself on being a gentleman; not interested in pressuring his girlfriend into something she was ready for.  
  
He smiled a little at the thought remembering on more than one occasion when they had fallen asleep on the couch together after swim practice. The feel of her body pressed against him fully clothed was enough to send him soaring; the thought of her naked nearly put him on the floor.  
  
Before he forgot himself completely, Jack pulled out the leftover chicken and vegetables, cut up the meat and threw it all into a frying pan. Starting another pot boiling, he set some rice to cook. When the rice was simmering and the chicken and vegetables had been heated and seasoned adequately, Jack retreated to his own bathroom to shower.  
  
"Jack?" Irina called from the apartment's second bathroom. Getting no reply, she listened for sounds from the other rooms.  
  
Cracking the door marginally, she could hear the water running in Jack's room. With a towel wrapped securely around her body, she crept into his bedroom and opened his closet doors.   
  
She had been so quick to retreat from the heat of Jack's kisses she had forgotten to take a change of cloths from his wardrobe. Showering at his house and borrowing a pair of pants and shirt had become a ritual of sorts for the two of them.   
  
As she perused the selection of sweatpants and t-shirts Irina grew pensive. Tonight, something had changed. She had not been ignorant to the feel of attraction for a man but no man had ever made her feel quite like Jack could.   
  
Having spent every waking hour training or educating herself, Irina had not had time for boys before joining the KGB. Once part of the agent training program, her focused had shifted to being the best marksmen, linguist, observer and fighter, yet again leaving little time for recreational activities.   
  
Her experience with men had been limited to a few kisses and comments implying more but sex remained an illusive concept to her. Russia may have had a revolution in the early nineteen hundreds but it had not been sexual. The society was still rigid and repressed with respect to sex; Irina had not been interested in challenging the boundaries as there had been no one who interested her.   
  
But Jack Bristow interested her. To the point of leaving her a quivering mass, anxious for even the illusion of his presence. Making up her mind that the first move would have to be made by her, she selected her attire for the evening from Jack's closet and journeyed into the kitchen.  
  
Jack threw on a pair of jeans and t-shirt proclaiming UMBC athletics before leaving his room.  
  
"Laura, I just realized I didn't give you-" His speech died suddenly at the sight of her in his kitchen. Jack lost his breath seeing her standing nonchalantly in front of the stove wearing one of his crisp white dress shirts and little if anything else.  
  
"I hope you don't mind, I borrowed one of your shirts." She tossed over her shoulder as she turned off the simmering burners.   
  
"Mind?" Jack's strangled word earned him a bright smile from Irina.   
  
"I was thinking too, that maybe we didn't have to eat right away." She seemed to float towards him.  
  
"What?" Caught in a fog, Jack seemed doomed to continue to make an ass of himself. He was acting like a mindless fool and while he wasn't an expert where sex was concerned he wasn't exactly a novice.  
  
Irina kissed him hungrily then trailed her lips to his ear. "The food can keep for one more day." She whispered and sucked gently.  
  
Having Irina grab his hands and pull him down the hallway gave Jack enough time to understand what was going on. Irina hauled him close, working her hands under his shirt.  
  
"You sure about this?" Jack prayed she answered yes.  
  
"Hell yes. It's not a coincidence I'm always wet when I'm with you and I'm not talking about the pool or shower." She told him, pulling his shirt over her head.  
  
Jack groaned in response. "You don't know how hard it's been stopping myself from doing this when we're together." Jack ran his hands up the outside of Irina thighs, and under the shirt. "You're not wearing any underwear." She pulled his head to hers, tongues dueling in an epic battle.  
  
"I never have underwear on after I shower here." Jack groaned again at the thought. "I always seem to forget I can't put my swimsuit back on.  
  
"If I had known…." Jack trailed off.  
  
"What?" Irina prodded.  
  
"If I had known I never would have been able to think straight with you around." Jack undid the buttons on the shirt, revealing the creamy expanse of her breast to his hungry eyes. "Not that I can think straight around you as it is." His lips descended over one pink nipple, lapping at the texture while sampling the surface around. His hands continued to undo the buttons on the shirt until she was fully exposed to his gaze.  
  
"Always beautiful." He spoke softly to which she smiled. His mouth moved to the other breast, giving it the same treatment as the first. Irina ran her hands through his hair, desperate to get closer to him.  
  
"Pants." She struggled to undo the button on the jeans with Jack's tongue circling her breast and his fingers burning a path down her stomach. Finally she opened the fly and pulled Jack's lips from his ministrations on her breast. "I want to feel you." She told him in earnest.   
  
Jack rid himself of his jeans and underwear without moving from the cocoon of her arms. While he had been distracted with his pants, Irina had tossed the shirt to the floor.  
  
When she heard Jack's grunt of relief at getting his pants off, she used the element of surprise to push him down on the bed, covering his body with her own. "My turn." She declared.  
  
Irina placed soft kisses down his chest, circling his navel and tracing the same path back up with her tongue. Jack's hands played over her breasts, glorifying in the response her nipples gave him.   
  
Sealing her lips over Jack's, Irina' s hands continued to roam his body. As they encountered his prominent erection, he let out a gasp of surprise. He caught the dark glint in Irina's eyes as she proceeded back down his body, sucking and kissing the surface of his skin along the way.  
  
"Why did we wait so long to do this?" Irina leaned back to get a good look at Jack's body.  
  
"I have no ide-" Jack sucked in a deep breath when Irina's lips touched his sensitive shaft. With agonizing slowness she ran her energetic tongue down the length of him, stopping to suck the tip, while the pads of her fingers teased his balls. "Laura, you have to stop or I'll-"   
  
"Shh, I'm busy." She admonished.  
  
Jack pulled at the vestiges of self-restraint, tugging Irina away from his lap and back up his body. He flipped them over on the bed, positioning himself between her legs.  
  
"I didn't get past your incredible breasts last time. It's only fair I get my turn over, I mean both of us believing so strongly in equal opportunity and everything." His sly grin ignited a chuckle from Irina although it contained a nervous element.  
  
It was scary to give herself over to another person and trust they wouldn't hurt her. It was nerve-wracking thinking about the event she was about to take part in, one that many saw as life altering.  
  
Jack's mouth had made it all the way to the junction at the top of her thighs, silently urging her legs further apart. As his warm mouth made contact with the edge of her folds, she stiffened slightly.   
  
"Relax." Jack whispered, massaging her right breast and stroking the inside of her thigh.   
  
When his mouth descended on her core once again, the tension disappeared. Irina threw her head back at the sensations he was igniting in her body, arching her back to get closer to his mouth. Jack's teeth scraped delicately of the sensitive nub causing her to wither beneath him.  
  
"Sh*t!" Irina exclaimed, grasping a handful of Jack's hair, hoping his mouth would never stop. He chuckled at her expression; the vibrations against her center exciting her more.   
  
"Jack, stop for a second." Irina pulled at his neck, to get him back up her body.  
  
"Are you okay?" Concerned marred the desire in his eyes.  
  
"Amazing." She took a shuddering breath. "I just needed to say something before we got any further."   
  
"Birth control?" Jack guessed, his hands and lips taking liberties over her breasts and neck.  
  
"No I'm on the Pill." Irina paused to sort her thoughts. "Jack, I've never done this before." Her shy admittance rocked him.  
  
His groin tightened further as he looked at her. She was flushed and breathing heavy against the pale blue of his sheets. "You've never done this before." The words were a mix of incredulity and awe. "But you...I mean you're…what you did before…" Jack stumbled over his words.  
  
"Anything I did earlier could be learned in a book. I'm not having second thoughts Jack, I just wanted to let you know." Irina trailed her fingers down his muscular arm, currently holding him above her.  
  
"I'm glad you did." Jack kissed her again. He shifted and his hard member rubbed against the warmth of her folds causing Irina to gasp.  
  
"Jack, I want to feel you." Her forehead pressed against his as he felt his control slipping. "Inside me." Her added declaration nearly pushed him over the edge.  
  
"You're sure." Jack investigated her face, only to find a desire soaked expression and a reassuring grin.  
  
"Please, I need you." She pulled his lips down to hers.  
  
"Oh God." Jack shook with excitement. Their lips opened to each other, tongues sliding back and forth against one another. Jack took himself in hand and guided his length to Irina's opening.   
  
Inching himself into her, Jack held onto his control with his fingertips. It seemed the further he got inside, the tighter and hotter she became. Jack tore his lips from hers to watch her face. Her eyes were wide in wonder at the feel of him moving deeper inside her.  
  
Jack felt resistance against his progression into her warmth and stopped to eye her carefully. Irina's wide smile greeted him as she dragged his head down for an ardent kiss. Jack was so lost in the feel of her lips and the partial submersion inside of her, that he didn't realize until too late that she had grasped his ass and driven him all the way inside, despite the discomfort she would have felt.   
  
Neither moved for minutes that stretched on like hours. Jack didn't think he could without ending their passion a little too early, while Irina just tried to adjust to the feel of him.  
  
"Honey, you're so tight. I don't think I can move." Sweat beaded on Jack's skin at the struggle to maintain his control.  
  
"I won't break Jack. Please, I need to feel you moving." Irina rotated her hips as an incentive.  
  
Jack groaned, responding to the movement. He pulled out to the tip and slid back in again. Irina shut her eyes against the white-hot combination of pain and pleasure he was giving her. She knew it wasn't possible but in spite of what she told Jack, his length and thickness felt as though it was splitting her in two.  
  
Moving his hand between them, Jack located her taunt nub once again, squeezing and rubbing it in tune with their body's thrusts. Jack's thrusts became shorter as he strained for release. Irina met him each time he drove into her, lifting her hips off the bed for a better angle.   
  
Feeling her walls clench around him, Jack dropped his head to suckle on one of her breast. She twisted beneath him, reaching the zenith of her pleasure and spiraling down.  
  
"Jack, Jack, Jack. S*it! Oh God. Don't stop." Her string of expletives finally broke his weary grip on his control and sent him falling after her. He exploded within the confines of her body, relieved at the release he was able to find.  
  
Dropping his head beside her on the bed, Jack held her close to him. "Are you alright?" He asked finally, fearful of her answer.  
  
"Alright? Jack, that was incredible. I can't even….most women don't experience orgasm their first time." She ran her hands through his unruly hair and shifted from underneath him. "But then, most women don't have you." Her lips claimed his gently.  
  
"No woman has me but you." Jack's hand held the side of her face.  
  
"Hold me until I'm alert enough to have you again." Irina snuggled closer to Jack.  
  
"You expect me to be able to do that again?" Jack said in mock astonishment.  
  
"I have faith in you." She kissed the side of his neck. "But next time, I'm on top." Jack watched as her face lit up with her smile.  
  
"I always knew you were a quick study." Jack tightened one of his arms around his lover's body and pulled the sheet up from the end of the bed with the other. They were both quiet for a while, basking in the after glow of their union. "Thank you for trusting me." Jack whispered.  
  
"Thank you for making it so easy to trust you." Irina closed her eyes against him. Her handler would be pleased to know she had made it this far with Bristow. Their meeting wasn't for another few months, which she was glad for. It gave her time to force herself out of love with the man pressed tightly against her. His hand ran up and down her back, soothing her to sleep. She would start hating him tomorrow she promised herself._  
  
**_{END FLASHBACK}_**  
  
  
Tomorrow had never come for Irina. Instead she had spent months preparing to mask her emotions in front of her handler's watchful gaze. Irina wrapped her arms around her body, looking out at the darkened sky.  
  
"Your country asked a lot of you." Jack broke through their respective reveries. "You gave your virginity to them."   
  
"No Jack!" Irina spun sharply to look at him. "I gave it to you, you idiot. I gave you my innocence, my trust and my heart. You are the only man I've every wanted, the only man I've ever trusted but I lost all of that twenty years ago and now I'm losing it again."  
  
The guilt at the morning's events finally ran over, causing Jack to reach out and grab the only thing that could steady him: Irina. The sharp pains in his stomach returned as he held her close, pleased with the feel of her body pressed against his.  
  
"I'm sorry for my behaviour this morning. I was jealous, thinking you had been with other men. I can't justify it or explain it but I want you to know how wrong I was, how sorry I am for the things I said. You've been willing to open up to me about your life, I promise to make an effort to open up about Sydney's and mine." Jack kissed her hair instinctively.  
  
"Jack Bristow was jealous over a whore?" Irina disentangled herself from his embrace.  
  
"No, he was jealous over his wife." His voice was forceful. "I had no right or reasons to speak to you the way I did today. I was an arrogant ass." With a furrowed brow Jack glanced at the ground.   
  
"But you're my arrogant ass." Irina allowed a smile to light her features.   
  
Placing a hesitant hand on the side of her face, Jack leaned down to cover her lips with his. They tasted sweet and soft, inviting him in. Jack was slow in reacting to the invitation for his tongue, wanting to give Irina time to pull away if she chose. Instead she grew closer, pushing more insistently on his lips.  
  
Separating was a dilemma as neither could catch their breath nor did they wish to break the kiss. Oxygen won the battle, tearing their lips apart but pushing their bodies closer together. The outside lights lit the patio and pool, casting an outline of the items floating in the water.  
  
Jack recognized his cloths littering the pool's surface and realized Irina had not been as forgiving as he had thought. "What, you didn't burn them?" He joked, keeping her wrapped in his arms.  
  
Irina leaned back enough to look up at him with a shrug. "I didn't have my blowtorch handy." Jack felt his stomach roll and burn with pain once again.  
  
"Is it safe to assume the living room's redecoration was also a result of my horrific tirade this morning?" He shifted uncomfortably, trying to ease the pain he felt.  
  
"You always were brilliant." She raised her eyebrows. Jack winced slightly as the fire grew anew in his side, bending over to quell it. "Jack?" Irina watched him with a sinking feeling.  
  
"I'm fine, just a little stomach pain. I likely ate too much." Jack brushed off her concern.  
  
Realization dawned in her eyes at Jack's pain followed closely by fear and remorse. Her 'surprise' was about to make its presence known. "What have I done?" She cried faintly.

~TBC~


	23. Heal Me

****

AN: Here is another update. Hope you like it and I should have another up in a day or two. Thanks for the feedback and keep it coming…I get inspired by it (;.

VILLA - SYROS, GREECE  
  
"What do you mean Irina? What did you do?" Jack was bent at the waist, hoping he could avoid vomiting on the deck.  
  
"Come inside and lay down Jack. I-" Irina placed a hand on his upper back; he shrugged it off as though scalded.   
  
"You're trying to kill me. You poisoned me." A bead of sweat slid down the side of his face as he attempted to right himself.  
  
"I'm not trying to kill you Jack. I was angry with you after this morning. I-I simply wanted to exact my revenge. The effects of the substance I used will only last twelve hours although you shouldn't eat anything for at least twenty-four." Irina's clinical calm saved her from the hurt she felt at Jack's rebuff. She cursed her impetus behaviour for possibly crippling the progress they had made over the last hour.   
  
Jack had kissed her. Not one of hesitance or caution, the kissed had been passionate and promising until her ill-fated plot decided to reveal itself. A thickness developed in the recesses of her throat, desperate to stop the emotion from surging forward. Irina bit her lip, wishing to step back into the elation of their kiss.  
  
"I'm going to be sick." Jack's strangled whisper caught her attention. He blew by her, rushing to the downstairs bathroom.  
  
Irina followed at a moderate stroll, pondering over the next words brave enough to pass over her lips. Upon her arrival at the open bathroom door, Jack turned from his position of the marble floor. His steely gaze wrapped around her with a hollow grip, not forceful enough to hold her but disarmingly enough to curb any movement.   
  
"I'm surprised I didn't taste the arsenic, although lamb's flavor may hold the strength necessary to disguise the bitterness of your revenge."  
  
"I told you Jack, I'm not trying to kill you. I didn't use arsenic or any other of the myriad of lethal poisons. As I said before, killing you would defeat my purposes of bringing you here and I didn't elucidate my past just to do away with you now."  
  
"For a mere moment in time, I thought you may have truly changed your tune Irina but while the lyrics are may be new, the melody has become repetitive." Jack grappled with the buttons on his shirt, trying to loosen the fabric from the growing dampness of his neck.   
  
Anger surged inside Irina at their circumstances, both at herself and Jack. However Jack was the easier of two targets. "Stop being such a baby about this Jack. So what, you're going to be a little sick for a few hours. You can stop whining right now a let me help you, or you can spend the night on the bathroom floor. Only minutes ago you were practically begging me for forgiveness after your parting words this morning, now you're going to pass judgment on me?" Irina was incredulous.   
  
Mindful of her girth, she leaned down and helped pull him to his feet. Together, they moved into the living room where Jack dropped gratefully onto the couch. The grimace remained on his flushed face, as he stretched out along the cushions.   
  
"Where are you going?" The question was a foreign blend of needy and indignant.  
  
"I'll be right back." She walked into the kitchen, reappearing two minutes later. "Here, drink this."   
  
Jack glanced suspiciously at the substance she thrust toward him. "So you can finish the job?"   
  
Irina rolled her eyes; thankful both her hands were occupied as they might otherwise be around Jack's neck. "It'll coat your stomach Jack. It's over-the-counter, nothing to be worried about."   
  
Jack did a quick survey of the bottle in her hands, finding it did indeed bare a common product's name, although in Greek. Not in the mood to fight her further, he swallowed the thick liquid then relaxed back against the sofa.   
  
"Rest here. I'm going to tidy the kitchen, then I'll help you get settled upstairs." Irina declared gently. She watched his eyes close against the nausea, wanting to reach out to sooth his pain.   
  
"Don't be silly, I am quite capable of taking care of myself." His actions contradicted his words, as he made no move to get up.  
  
"True, but here you're close to the bathroom if you're going to be sick again and sometimes," Jack's eyes opened to look at her. "having someone taking care of you can be refreshing."  
  
"Are you feeling guilty now?" Jack's anger was waning in favour of the pain.  
  
"Guilt does seem the most prominent and common emotion between us."   
  
Not allowing Jack the time to retort, Irina left the living room to tidy the mess from dinner. The evening had gone from salvageable to destructive in the last hour, leaving her shaken and frustrated. She never had any intention of killing Jack, only hurting him as his morning declaration had hurt her.   
  
No one had ever expressed such malice for her and kept their life and yet no time before had the comments cut her so deep. Irina had long ago reconciled that despite her better judgment, she cared what Jack thought of her and more importantly she had come to depend on him.   
  
Hearing Jack get up to the bathroom twice while she was in the kitchen lit an ember of loss. He had gotten the answers he came for. She had given him everything she had to offer, leaving little of herself unprotected. There were still things he didn't know about her; some things he would learn soon while others were likely to remain unspoken.   
  
Finishing with the dishes and shutting off the lights in the kitchen and in the yard, Irina returned to the living room. Jack's eyes had yielded to the harsh overhead light, searching for solace from the pain. Sweat glistened over the contours of his face, frantic to expel the toxins from his body. Irina placed a cool hand on Jack's forehead, telling herself she was doubling-checking the strength of the fever.  
  
"Done?" Jack's scratchy voice caused her to pull her hand away. She wasn't sure if the question was with respect to the cleaning of the kitchen or her hand on his head.   
  
"Yeah." Irina sighed, deciding on the easiest answer for both. "Do you feel like moving upstairs to bed?" Her eyes drifted over his body, taking stock.  
  
Instead of answering, Jack's gaze shifted to the stereo system set up on the same built-in shelves as the TV. The words of the song flooded his mind, as well as the sound of his own voice spilling insults of acid.   
  
He allowed her to help him up the stairs but wasn't able to stop the swell of nausea as they stepped onto the landing. Irina ushered him into her bathroom, which was closer than his was. He lost what was likely the last of his dinner and was left dry heaving on the floor. The comfort Jack felt at feeling Irina's hand rubbing his back overshadowed the surprise. She aided him in getting mouthwash and rinsing out his mouth.  
  
Jack leaned against the sink; his body releasing a shuddering breath "I was a bastard this morning wasn't I." His eyes closed, unwilling to watch the pain fill hers.  
  
"Yes you were." Irina replied frankly.  
  
"I deserved this didn't I?" His hands unconsciously rubbed his stomach.  
  
"I thought you did. I wanted you to experience much of what I did when I had morning sickness."  
  
"I wasn't aware burning pain accompanied morning sickness." Fatigue coloured his tone as Irina led him to her bed and sat him down.  
  
"No, that was for driving me to break my antique plates this morning." She attempted a smile. "I shouldn't have done it though. I keep forgetting that when normal people fight, they apologize and mend the damages afterward, not plot their revenge."  
  
"Normal people don't say the things I did."  
  
"No, I don't suppose they do." Irina looked down at her hands. "We each carry a great deal of baggage Jack, quite a bit separately and ever more together. We can't live a life where one of us is always wary of the other. You can't live wondering whether or not I'm lying to you and I can't handle not knowing what will make you lose your temper. I've been kidding myself, I'm sorry." Irina eyes darted over his head, unable to focus.  
  
"What about-" The resolution in her tone scared Jack. Hearing Irina giving up on them was unacceptable to him; the irony was almost sufferable.   
  
"We'll work something out. Maybe you're right. I likely should never have been allowed to become a mother. I thought I was protecting Sydney but instead I hurt her. Perhaps you should take care of the baby." Her heart broke at the thought; however, she had long ago realized the truth was anything but pleasant. "My life grows dimmer with every day Arvin remains a free man. He's gunning for me and has no qualms about taking me out, but you…." She trailed off. "You were his friend once."  
  
"Irina…" Jack wasn't able to form a coherent thought after hearing what she had to say.  
  
"Here Jack." She unbuttoned his shirt and helped him off with it. "Can you stand up long enough to get your pants off?" She refused to meet his eyes.  
  
Jack stood in reply and helped shed him of his pants. When she did look up at him, her always expression orbs stared back at him, hollowed shadows. The emptiness was so brazen that it seemed to take a piece of his soul with it, resulting in the quiver of his muscles.  
  
"We can talk more when you're feeling better tomorrow." Irina said softly, pulling the covers over his shaking form.  
  
"No, we can talk right now." Jack's stern voice was a departure from the pain filled timber she had last heard.   
  
Seeing that relaxation would not come easily for him, Irina sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed, the only comfort available to her rounded abdomen.  
  
"How can you think I would do a better job with this baby than you could. I just about destroyed our daughter's life." Jack wince at the pain again, although it had become manageable since Irina had given him the medicine.  
  
"You're blind Jack. Sydney's life is not ruined. She is a beautiful, intelligent, kind young woman. There has never been a child in the world that has been so perfect, and you made her that way." Unnoticed by Irina, her hand had begun caressing Jack's stomach in small circles as she had done with Sydney year's before for her little girl's 'tummy aches'.   
  
"I was never there Irina. I never did anything to aid in her growth." Jack countered.  
  
An ironic smile lit her features. "At least she knew you were alive. I didn't even give her that much and I don't know if I could give this baby any more."  
  
"So we take Arvin down."   
  
"This from the man who has been working at that very goal for over a decade." Irina furrowed her brow. "This isn't like killing a fly."  
  
"Said the spider." Jack raised his eyebrows. "You've already take a great deal of Arvin's power from him. All the CIA has to do is locate him and take him out. There is nothing keeping us from killing him, he has no information that may be instrumental in persevering humanity." The sarcasm ebbed into his last argument. "You can help draw him into our web." Jack explained further.  
  
"I'm not dangling myself as bait for Arvin while pregnant." Irina said resolutely.   
  
"Only an unfit mother would." Jack watched her carefully for signs of understanding. Recognition dawned in her eyes with a slow smile forming on her lips.  
  
"You've made your point Jack." Irina finally noticed her hand's activities. She debated whether to remove it from his chest, deciding not to, as he hadn't complained about it. "That doesn't make this situation any easier. We can't torture ourselves by trying to find common ground between us that is as unstable as quicksand."  
  
"Irina." Jack's hand covered the one stroking his chest. "I'm sorry for what I said." He gave no other explanation, merely gazed at her with unbridled honestly.  
  
"I'm sorry I poisoned you." She stated with seriousness, before they shared a tentative smile. A yawn escaped her before she could stifle it.  
  
"It's late." Jack parroted his words from months before, wondering if she would take her role.  
  
"I'm tired." Irina nodded her head, recognizing his attempt but not feeling like playing along. "I'm going to change for bed."   
  
She got off the bed and walked into the bathroom; brushed her teeth and striped off her cloths, leaving her underwear on but adding only a tank top. The ensemble served to leave a great deal of her growing stomach exposed while keeping her at the perfect comfort level for the varying temperatures of the night.   
  
She shut off the light in the bathroom and moved to the main room. Jack was lying where she had left him with his eyes closed. "Goodnight Jack." Her voice was hesitant as she made for the doorway.  
  
"Where are you going?" He asked sharply.  
  
"I'll take your room for the night so you don't have to move."   
  
"Stay." The simple word served to suck all of the air from the room. The night stilled with the stunned silence of two of its most frequent visitors. Irina pondered the possibility of the fever making him delusional. "I'm fine Irina." He spoke to her concern. "I just want you to stay." Jack sat up slightly, able to make out her figure in the snippets of light filtering through the French doors and windows.   
  
Irina's body moved of its own volition, to the empty side of the bed. As she grew closer to the mattress, Jack was able to see what she was wearing. He was suddenly thankful for the pain in his stomach, knowing it was the only thing keeping him from wanting more than sleep.  
  
Getting bolder once she was under the covers, Irina slid next to Jack and resumed the soothing motions of her hand on his chest. She was caught between the need for sleep and the unconscionable thought of closing of her eyes while so close to Jack. Even if the moment turned out to be an anomaly in their relationship, she craved it.   
  
"I got to know Dr. Maridakos; he's a good man." Jack broke through the hush of the room. "He's from New York originally."   
  
"Humm." Irina continued running her fingertips over Jack's stomach, creating a euphoric contrast of pleasure and pain.  
  
"He was worried when the PCR came back. He assured me the tests aren't without their flaws but that it appears as though I may not a candidate for stem cell treatment. He's hoping the RFLP comes back with different results." Jack shifted on the bed, bringing him closer to Irina. "He believes I'm dying and won't get the opportunity to watch my child grow up."  
  
"Sounds as though he's a caring man." Irina responded peacefully.  
  
"His wife had their last child at forty-nine a few years ago. He sympathized with our surprise." Jack allowed for the darkness to hide his smile.  
  
"We should tell him you're full battery of tests came back and you're healthy. We wouldn't want him raising too many questions about alternative treatments." Irina's mind quickly solved the problem.  
  
"He's going to be phoning here later next week with the RFLP results; I'll tell him then." Jack nodded slightly.  
  
"You're staying until the next week?" Jack felt Irina lift her head and look at him.  
  
"I've got two weeks of mandatory vacation time and plenty to catch you up on from the last twenty years of my life." Jack chuckled which turned to a groan when the vibrations sent ripples of pain throughout his body.  
  
"Is it getting worse?" Irina leaned further over him.  
  
"No. But it hasn't begun to get better either." Jack saw the worry marring her face. "The medicine helped." He added for her peace of mind.  
  
Irina laid down beside Jack with a sigh. The sheet had dropped as she had altered her position, leaving a portion of her protruding belly visible. The window's light highlighted the curves, making it attractive to Jack's steadfast gaze. His hands flexed, wanting to feel the changes to her body, changes he helped create.  
  
Irina followed his eyes as they traced the rounded path of her abdomen. With nothing spoken between them, she grasped Jack's hand tightly and opened it up. Placing her hand on top, she guided them both to the surface of her stomach.  
  
The feeling was new and old at the same time for Jack. His memory was rushing to fill in the blanks of similar scenarios twenty-eight years before. Irina stomach was a fascinating amalgamate of tenderness and strength. The skin was soft and heeded to his touch but just beneath the exterior lay a solid layer of protection.  
  
Once Irina felt him relax, she urged his hand over, where it was instantly met with a thump of pressure. As the second ticked by the whirlwind of thumps continued against their joined hands.  
  
"Someone's trying to show off for Daddy." Jack sucked in a startled breath at Irina's comment. The sensation grew on him as he repeated it back in his mind.  
  
"I see the baby is following in Sydney's footsteps." Jack grinned at Irina's puzzled expression. "Definitely a kick-boxer." Irina's cry of laughter seemed to startle the baby who suddenly ceased moving. "Come on little one, I'm not feeling too great right now, the least you can do is keep your mother up with your incessant kicking." Jack spoke to Irina's stomach.  
  
Much to the surprise of both, the baby resumed its activities, throwing in an elbow every few minutes. "Thank you for that Jack." Irina narrowed her eyes in jest.  
  
"You're welcome; now go to sleep." Jack pulled the covers back over her body to stave off the air-conditioned chill of the evening; however his hand remained twined with hers, experiencing every kick.  
  
"Easy for you to say, you don't have a kick-boxer using your stomach as a heavy bag." Irina laid her head on his shoulder.  
  
"No, I have the devil jousting me with a fire poker. Now go to sleep." Jack replied with exhaustion.  
  
The water rushed against the rocks outside, creating an earthly melody to pacify the weary worriers battling for the sanctuary of their sleep. As each wave hit the rocks, it broke and swirled in a million different directions, desperate to mend itself and try for the shore once again.  
  
"Irina?" Jack murmured.  
  
"Sleeping." She chide.  
  
"Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?"   
  
"We eat dinner together every night Jack." Irina burrowed deeper into Jack's side, feeling him sigh.  
  
"Irina?"  
  
"Yes Jack." Her voice was wilting, tired from the day's activities.  
  
"Would you allow me to take you out for dinner tomorrow night?" The pain in his stomach disappeared with the thunder of blood pulsing nervously in his head.  
  
"Like a date?" She instinctively squeezed the hand of Jack's she held.  
  
"Yes."   
  
"As long as you promise not to injure yourself trying to get my attention." Irina smiled into his shoulder, then suddenly remember something else. "We're going to need to get you new toiletries." Irina inched one bare leg over his in an attempt to bring them closer together.  
  
"Dare I ask why?" Jack took deep breaths to ease the pain still raging in his digestive track.   
  
"They made it over the property line and down the hill." Irina admitted with a shrug.  
  
"You always were methodical." Jack quirked an eyebrow in the dark. "I'll have to spend the morning fishing my cloths out of the pool."  
  
"What time are you picking me up tomorrow?" Irina's speech slurred with fatigue.  
  
"Seven o'clock."   
  
"Goodnight."  
  
"Goodnight."   
  
Jack held tight to Irina's hand, silently willing the child beneath to calm and allow his or her mother the rest she needed. Tomorrow was the start of a new day, the possibilities were endless.


	24. Date Me

****

AN: I seem to always forget to update. But I promise to make more of an effort. I hope you like it. And to answer a question, No, Vaughn and Sydney don't know about the baby at this time…but they will…eventually.

Morning light filtered through the glass doors of the master bedroom. Its sharp rays illuminating the room's slumbering occupants; the elegant antique clock read ten from its resting place beside the large bed.  
  
Irina sighed, blowing warm air onto her companion's chest, not ready to face the day yet unable to rediscover sleep. The baby was performing its morning acrobatics, letting her know it was time to get up and start the day.   
  
Jack had not moved from his position on his back, only drawn her closer to his side. His hands had left her stomach during the night, making their way around her back. Her sigh appeared to have woken him; however he made no effort to move.  
  
"What time is it?" His voice was thick and rough with sleep.   
  
Irina lifted her head from his chest to check the clock on the bedside table beside him. "Ten." She answered before dropping her head back to its previous place.  
  
"We should get up."   
  
"Probably. But I'm comfortable right here." Irina slid herself up Jack's body until their faces were side by side.  
  
"You're not hungry?"   
  
As though wanting to reply, Irina's stomach growled, urging the baby to kick more powerfully. Rolling herself onto her back with a huff, Irina glanced sideways at Jack.  
  
"Apparently I've been vetoed in my decision to stay in bed." Jack's hand found her stomach under the sheets on the bed, already confident to feel the baby's movement with her permission.   
  
"How long has the baby been up and active?" His hand followed the flutters of the baby beneath her skin.  
  
"An hour maybe a little more. Although I received intermittent kicks all night." She smiled at his hand and the expression of concentration on his face. "How are you feeling this morning?" She wondered lightly.  
  
"Better." Jack removed his hand, leaning up on one arm. "I don't see myself interested in eating lamb in the near future but I could definitely go for some breakfast pastries."  
  
"Alright. I'm getting up than. I'll go see what we have." Irina threw back the covers and gingerly exited the bed.   
  
Jack's eyes narrowed in appreciation when the expanse of Irina's long bare legs was exposed to him. Last night, he had been in no condition to contemplate activities that would find her in or out of her underwear but in the new light of morning the options were staggering.  
  
Irina walked to the dresser and pulled on a pair of cotton shorts.  
  
"I'll come with you." Jack hopped out of the bed, his energy almost completely replenished after last night's ordeal.  
  
"Worried I might slip something into your food again?" Jack caught the humour dancing in her eyes as she turned.   
  
"The thought did happen across my mind." He raised his eyebrows to indicate his jest in the matter. He located his shirt in a pile of his cloths on the floor with little enthusiasm.  
  
"I don't suppose you took pity on one of my shirts when throwing my clothing into the pool?" Jack looked quite unlike himself, standing in the middle of an elegant bedroom wearing only his boxers.  
  
Irina retrieved a t-shirt from her drawer, holding it out to him. "Pesky pregnancy emotions wouldn't let me throw that over the balcony." Her mock disgusted earned her a smile from Jack.  
  
"Thank goodness for small favours." Jack missed the quick look of disappointment that crossed Irina's features as the shirt covered his chest.  
  
Both walked down the stairs, more at ease than when they had ascended them the night before. Irina stopped to open the doors in the living room on her way to the kitchen. The fresh sea breeze mingled with the stale air conditioned presence in the house.  
  
"I do believe the majority of people you've worked with in the past twenty years would be floored to see you dressed as you are." Jack indicated her tank top and draw-string shorts. "Do you have an entire wardrobe of cotton draw-string items?"  
  
"The same could be said about the people you work with." Irina eyed him as she got two plates from the cupboard. "I have plenty of items with draw-strings because thanks in large part to you, my waist line will be expanding daily for about three and a half months more."  
  
"Is this when I'm supposed to feel sympathetic?" Jack teased her.  
  
"Keep talking Bristow; I've got access to all the food in the house." A wicked smile lit her lips.  
  
"There was a serious matter I wanted to discuss with you." Jack helped her take the breakfast items out to the pool-side. Irina nodded for him to continue.  
  
"When I arrived four days ago, I walked through the house and into your room without you waking up. I understand that security measures wouldn't be inconspicuous but you're an easy target without any defense." Jack sipped his water.  
  
"Remember when I was pregnant with Sydney? Nothing could rouse me when I slept, the same seems true for this pregnancy but I don't know that any security would make a difference. The only enemy I'm worried about at this time is Sloane and I doubt he would have trouble getting past a security system." Irina smiled as she picked up a bagel. "But thank you for thinking of it."   
  
Two sets of eyes looked to the pool to see Jack's cloths still floating around. "I'll have to get those out of the pool if I'm going to have something to wear today." Jack made a move to stand but was stopped by a gentle hand on his arm.   
  
"Finish breakfast first. The cloths aren't going anywhere."   
  
Promptly at seven o'clock, Jack knocked on Irina's bedroom door. They had spent most of the day just being together. Neither spoke much for fear of loosing topics of conversation that evening. The apprehension was palatable in both of them, only growing stronger as the day wore on.   
  
Jack had taken time away from Irina to prepare the date they would be embarking on. He was determined to make it greater than their first date thirty years before. Tonight he wore a pair of grey dress pants and a black golf shirt, more than ready to impress her.  
  
"Irina, are you ready to go?"   
  
"Yes Jack, I'm just putting on-" She opened the door, taking in her 'date's' attire. "Well, don't you look handsome." She leaned lightly on the door with a sly smile.  
  
Jack didn't hear her compliment right away as his brain had zeroed in on her. Her hair was down and soft around her face; her body was covered in a light weight, red skirt that fell to just above her knees and a black and red top. Her stomach was tightly encased in the material, making the expansion visible.  
  
"Stunning." Was the only word Jack could utter.  
  
"An improvement from beautiful. And it only took thirty years." Irina tilted her head slightly. "Alright, I'm ready."   
  
"Your shirt doesn't have any sleeves." Jack acknowledged.  
  
"I know Jack." Irina wondered where he was going with his observation.  
  
"You should take a sweater."  
  
"Jack, it's July in Greece. What could I possibly need a sweater for?" A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Jack, where are we going?"  
  
"Trust me?" Jack implored with his gaze.   
  
Irina weighed his words carefully, aware of all the implications. "You know I will." She whispered. "Just let me get my sweater." She called as she walked to her closet.  
  
  
**MAINLAND – GREECE**  
  
Irina had been shocked when they had boarded the private plane that had brought Jack to the island and head toward the mainland. She knew her best efforts to get Jack to reveal their destination would go unrewarded, leaving her to enjoy the scenery. Not quite half an hour later, the plane touched down at a small airstrip.  
  
"Where are we?" Irina took Jack's hand as he helped her out of the plane.  
  
"About ten minutes outside of Sparta." Jack directed her to a waiting car. They both got in as Jack drove them to their date location.  
  
After ten minutes more and plenty of uphill driving, the couple arrived at a niche in a mountain.  
  
"What is this place?" Irina asked as she and Jack got out of the car and walked to the building.  
  
"It used to be a mill. They have since turned it into a restaurant. One of the only ones in the mountains. I wanted you to bring a sweater because it gets cool up here at night."   
  
Jack spoke to the owner as they approached the entrance. "Reservation for Jonathan." He said in Greek. The owner took them out to the side where numerous tables were set up.  
  
"Jonathan, creative." The sarcasm was evident.  
  
"No need to get fancy, merely cautious." He retorted.  
  
"Is it wrong that I'm delighted to see grass? I haven't seen any on the terrain for a long time." Irina looked around the grounds.  
  
"Isn't that why you had some installed in your roof?" Jack grinned with closed lips.  
  
"Yes, but it's nothing like this." She breathed. The old mill was still running and a stream of mountain water rain behind them. "This is amazing Jack. I don't know how you pulled all this off so quickly." She smiled.  
  
"I had the proper incentive." Jack smiled back. "However, dinner can't run too late because we need to get back to the island."   
  
'Tell me something about yourself I don't know." Irina leaned toward conspiratorially.  
  
"After you were gone, I learned I have an addictive personality." Jack was caught between wanting the evening to be enjoyable and the harsh truth she wanted. "I was desperately addicted to you but when you left I had to fill that void. Unfortunately I didn't do it with anything constructive." Jack dropped his head.  
  
"Alcohol." Irina filled in.  
  
"No, not just alcohol. It was part of it but I also worked too hard and didn't sleep enough. It made for a destructive combination."   
  
"I tried to uncover any piece of information on Sydney and you that I could over the years. I have a tape of her graduation. Actually I have a few; I wore the first two out." Irina's cheeky smile relaxed the tense atmosphere.   
  
"She's amazing. She brings new light to the nature over nurture debate. We both had very little to do with her childhood and yet I admit that she is exactly like us in so many ways."  
  
"She hates me doesn't she?" Irina dropped her eyes and played with her fork.  
  
"She acts as though she does." Jack saw the hurt flash in her eyes. "I don't believe it for a second. She pretends to hate you because she thinks that is what is required of her when in reality she loves you unconditionally." Jack reached across the table to still her hands' nervous fiddling.  
  
"Were you always this sweet Jack?" Irina held his hand tightly.  
  
"I don't believe anyone in L.A. would agree with your comment." Their laughter at his reply broke through the remaining unease about their 'date'. Too soon it was ten and Jack announced they should head back to the airstrip.  
  
  
**SWITZERLAND**  
  
Nane Annan had been preoccupied with the well-fare of her children to notice Sydney's confusion at her familiarity. She had her suspicious as to whom Nane was referring to when the word she had passed her lips.  
  
Kofi Annan was to meet his wife and children at their home once it was deemed safe by the CIA. The reunion was bittersweet, tainted with the lost of innocence of all involved, the UN had once more been dealt a crippling blow of ineffectiveness.  
  
"I knew I shouldn't have doubted her. She said she would make sure you and the children got home safe, but I couldn't help but wonder at her optimism." Kofi held tight to his wife in relief.  
  
"I can't remember a time she has ever failed to complete a task you asked of her. Wait until you see who she sent to find us." Nane pulled her husband to the other side of the room where Sydney and Dixon stood patiently.   
  
"With a face like that, I can only assume you're Sydney." The Secretary General shook Sydney's hand warmly. "Your mother has spoken of you often."  
  
"You know my mother?" Despite having assumed her mother was who Mrs. Annan had spoken of, she had not expected her ideas to be realized.  
  
"We've known your mother for quite some time now. She was not able to execute the mission to save my wife and children; she did tell me she would be sure the only other person she trusted to do the job would be there." The large man's smile grew friendlier.  
  
"How do you know my mother? With your position in the UN, contact with a woman like Irina Derevko could be dangerous." Sydney glanced sideways at Dixon.  
  
"It is not our place Sydney, to explain your mother's behaviours and choices." Nane looked sympathetically at the young woman.  
  
"Do you know where Derevko is now?" Dixon interjected, knowing the attempt was futile.   
  
"I'm afraid I don't have that information. I've spoken to her once but otherwise it would seem she has vanished." Kofi raised his dark eyebrows at Dixon.  
  
"We have a plane to catch. It has been an honor meeting both of you." Dixon shook both their hands.  
  
"A pleasure for us as well Mr. Dixon. Thank you for everything you've done. I hope we can meet again under better circumstances." Mr. Annan said.  
  
"Sydney!" Nane Annan called to the younger woman before she could exit the building. "I would wait to pass judgment on your mother until you've seen her again and have given her an opportunity to explain."  
  
Sydney regarded the fair woman for a moment before nodding her head and following Dixon out of the building.   
  
"Syd, you alright?" Dixon glanced at her.  
  
"Just when I think I've got my mother figure out, she unveils another layer of herself. I don't know if I'll ever understand her Dixon. I don't know if she'll let me.  
  
  
**VILLA – SYROS**  
  
"I don't remember the last time I had fun like that." Irina said as they walked to her bedroom doorway. "It's interesting to know Sydney's propensity at finding herself in stinky situations is not a result of poor training but her own character. I still can't get over how she talked herself out of being thrown in jail at fifteen."  
  
"Yes, her life seems the epitome of wrong place, wrong time." Jack looked down at their hands, joined together between them.  
  
"I had a wonderful time tonight Jack. Thank you for taking me out." They stopped outside her open doorway.  
  
"We have twenty years of memories to make; I don't want to miss any opportunities." Jack swept his free hand across her stomach, pleased when she took at step closer to him.  
  
"Then don't miss this one." Irina whispered.  
  
Jack used his grasp on their joined hands to pull her closer to him and placed his lips gently over hers. It was the first time their lips had made contact since they had reached their understanding of last night. Their lips pressed against each other with subtle force. Jack's tongue soothed Irina's lips, until they yielded to his entrance. His free hand moved to cup the side of her head, steady against his passion.   
  
"Goodnight." He said when they finally pulled away. Irina's eyes were dark and dangerous against the light of the hallway. As he took a step in the direction of his own room he felt a tug on his hand.  
  
Irina released her hold on his hand in favour of winding her arm around his neck to pull him into her room. Her door shut behind them, effectively blocking Jack's exit. Their tongues took turns running the length of one another in the darkness.  
  
"The baby wants you to stay with me tonight." Irina's throaty words were laboured, as they kissed again.  
  
"Well, what the baby wants, the baby gets." Jack's lips trailed a warm path down her neck. Irina's hand threaded through Jack's hair, dragging his head back to hers for another searing kiss. When they pulled away, Jack rested his forehead on Irina's.  
  
"Jack, are we ready for this?" Her question would have seemed odd if it were directed at anyone else.  
  
"No, probably not." He admitted reluctantly.  
  
"Hold me tonight?" Her eyes connected with his.  
  
"Is that what the baby wants?" Jack grinned at her timid question.  
  
"No, it's what I want." She leaned in again to capture his lips.   
  
"Your mattress is more comfortable anyway."  
  
"Then let's get comfortable." Her bright smile helped to lead him to bed.

Please Read and Review J 


	25. Kiss Me

**AN: Thought now would be a good time to update...considering I've been updating elsewhere. WARNING! This chapter contains sexual content and language. Please don't read if you're under age.**

**DAY 5 - VILLA, SYROS**

"Jack!" Irina called from the downstairs patio.

"I'm on the roof." He hollered back.

Night had arrived with stunning stealth, catching Irina off guard as she woke from her after dinner nap. Jack had insisted she rest while he tidied up after their meal. She had no intention of sleeping, but her fatigue had got the better of her.

Irina climbed the outdoor stairs pleased the outside lights brightened her steps. She paused briefly at the second story patio, listening to the faint music from elsewhere on the island. The higher she climbed the louder the sounds became. Once the sensitive skin of her feet encountered the blades of grass covering the roof, the music could be heard clearly if somewhat quietly.

"What are you doing up here?" She caught sight of Jack instantly. His body stretched out on one of the lounge chairs.

"Watching the stars and listening to the party across the inlet." Sure enough, Irina saw a multitude of lights shining brightly across the water.

"I fell asleep." She drew a hand over her eyes.

"I know. I came looking for you after I finished tidying up. I figured I would just let you sleep." He sat up a little, pleased when she sat on the side of his lounge chair.

"I don't know why I was so tired, we didn't do anything today."

"Not true, we got reacquainted." Jack's fingers caressed her shoulder, travelling down her arm.

"Is that what you call making out like shameless teenagers on the couch all day." Irina grinned in measured amusement.

"All day wasn't spent that way. We did break to eat." Jack lay back against the chair, looking at the sky.

"Not what I wished we'd been eating." Jack missed Irina's words as they were spoken under her breath. His head already turned back to the darkened sky. "What have you been thinking about out here?" Her voice had dropped, not wanting to break the calm of the moment.

"Everything. In short, you." Jack returned his eyes to the brown of hers. Pushing himself up he tucked a stray hair behind her ear, mimicking the habit she and their daughter possessed. "I like it here. It's peaceful." Leaning in to kiss her he smiled. "The company's pretty great too." He kissed her again.

"Jack Bristow flattery; oh how I've missed that particular brand." She slid her hand down his arm to play over the fingers still against her face.

"Is the baby active tonight?" His eyes dipped to glance at her stomach

"What do you think woke me?" Irina chuckled softly.

Placing his bare feet on the rooftop grass, Jack walked around the chair to stand in front of Irina, extending his hand, mischief gleaming in his eyes.

"What?" Irina placed her hand in his, trying to read his intention.

Jack pulled her up and to him, feeling her relax immediately. "I seem to recall us dancing often while you were pregnant with Sydney. You swore the rocking motion helped to sooth the baby to sleep." Together, they began to sway to the sound from across the distance.

Twining her arms behind his head, Irina placed her cheek against Jack's. He held her tight with one hand at the small of her back, the other between her shoulder blades. Neither took a step too large that would draw them apart, happy to rotate in slow, tiny circles.

"It also gives me an excuse to get close to you." Jack whispered just above her ear.

Irina drew back to look at him. "You don't need an excuse." Moving her lips back to their place next to his ear. "I like the casual look Jack. You always have looked…delicious in t-shirts and shorts." Her teeth scraped over his earlobe.

Jack's hands massaged her back lightly. "Well, you happen to take my breath away in anything you wear. But I did notice this particular outfit is lacking a drawstring."

She felt his smile against her head, before seeing it. Pulling back to glance down at her cloths, Irina brought her eyes back up to Jack's with laughter and self-pity lighting her them. Her tank top was light blue stretch cotton with ties at both the arms while the pants were Khaki capris.

"Truthfully, I feel like I'm going to burst out of these pants. I wore them a week ago and they fit fine. I'm going to have a button imprint on my abdomen soon." Jack shook with laughter, burying his face in her hair to preserve the gentleness of the moment.

"Are you laughing at me Jonathan?" Irina's hot breath floated over his ear.

"Sorry Sweetheart." Jack sobered, a smile still possessing his lips. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Yes." Irina breathed in a whisper. "You can remove my pants." Ensuring her words were received in the proper context she trailed her tongue down the side of his neck.

"What happened to not being ready?" Jack's breath hitched when her lips clamped down on the side of his neck, sucking greedily.

"That was last night. I've had almost twenty-four hours to lament our decision last night and decide that if you don't fck me soon, I'm going to lose whatever sanity I have managed to retain over the last twenty years without you."

Jack's hands moved under the back of her shirt, pulling her hips as close as her slightly swollen stomach would allow. "We had Panama." Jack turned his head to capture her lips with his, taking everything she was offering him.

"It only made the need worse. It would be like giving a recovering addict a shot of heroin, they have to go through withdrawal all over again." Irina's hands traveled down Jack's chest, trailing over the bulge already forming in his shorts. When he laughed she eyed him inquisitively.

"Sorry, I just thought of Sydney's friend Will." Jack kissed her again.

"Should I be worried?" Irina kidded. Jack appeared as though he was going to explain but she stopped him. "Tell me later, I have a rapidly growing matter to take care of."

The teasing evaporated into the hot night sky, leaving the past and present to collided in a heady mixture of passion and need. Mouths clamped down on one another, battling for control. They separated long enough to discard their shirts, making quick work of Irina's bra as well.

Jack's thumbs brushed back and forth over Irina's erect nipples, pleased when she moaned into his mouth. He balanced each breast in a hand, noticing their increased weight and size since Panama. When she had been pregnant with Sydney, he had loved to spend his nights cataloguing the changes in her body with his hands and tongue, knowing she was more sensitive in all his favourite places.

Bending down, he took one breast into his mouth, sucking gently. His tongue circled her nipple, grazing the surface with his teeth intermittently. He grew harder when he felt her shudder beneath his mouth, her fingers getting lost in his hair as she tried to bring him closer. He kissed and nipped his way to her other breast, eager to bestow it with the same treatment.

Splitting his focus, his hands traveled down her soft curving stomach and undid the button on her pants, pulling them down her hips. Irina cooperated and kicked them away from her feet with such force they sailed over the edge of the roof to the second story patio.

Not knowing how much longer she could withstand the feel of his mouth on her sensitive nipples, she drew his head back to her, thrusting her tongue passed his teeth and lips, branding his mouth as hers.

The feel of her bare breasts against the skin of his chest caused a squeak to escape from deep in her throat, startling Jack enough that she could lower herself in front of him. One hand landed on his ass while the other played at the crease of his groin and thigh. With a flick of her wrist the button on his shorts opened, giving Jack some relief from the tension it created against his ever-growing erection and his eyes closed when Irina's teeth drew the zipper of his shorts down.

Ridding him of the shorts and boxers in one fluid tug, Jack's penis sprang free. Irina's eyes darkened and she licked her lips, anticipating the taste of him. Before Jack could react her mouth had covered as much of him as it could.

"Oh God." He cried, his hands anchoring in her dark brown tresses. Irina alternated between running her tongue around the circumference of his penis and sucking him deep into her throat. Her hand cupped his balls, weighing them much as he had her breasts.

"Irina, you have to stop I'm going to-" Jack felt his orgasm approaching, unable to stop it. Just before he thought he would be coming in her mouth, her hand clamped down on his shaft, effectively stopping his release.

"I'm not ready for this to be over quite yet. You have to be inside me for that." She smiled up at him with self-satisfaction.

Jack hauled her up, his hands going to her waist as his lips desperately tried seeking hers. His fingers drifted inward, feeling the dampness of her panties with gratification. Tucking two fingers in the dark pink satin and lace material he yanked them off.

He felt himself grow impossible harder as his hand teased her swollen folds. One finger plunged into her heat, then two. His thumb pinched her clit, to which she responded,

"Jesus Jack. I need you inside of me. I can't stand it any longer."

Catching her as her legs wobbled under his ministrations, Jack lowered them both to the soft grass on the roof. The lights around the perimeter provided the perfect amount of light to catch the flush of her skin and the desire swimming in her darkened eyes.

Taking a moment, Jack wondered over how he wanted to proceed. He wasn't going to be able to place his entire body weight on top of her as it would crush her stomach but he had a yearning to be in control of this particular interlude.

Getting on his knees, he urged Irina to straddle his hips. His erection rubbing tantalizingly against her core, begging for entrance.

"fuck me Jack."

"No." He said seriously. Irina appeared surprised by his response. "I won't fuck you." Before she could remove herself from his lap he stole a deep kiss and placed a hand over the medium size lump at her middle. "But I will make love to you."  
Tears burned in her eyes at his words. Her hands landed on his arms while her lips covered his in a sweet joining. Lifting her slightly, Jack positioned her over his shaft, releasing his hold a little and letting her sink onto him.

She was as tight as she had been in Panama, leaving him little room to maneuver until her body adjusted to his size. Her heat raced over him, stealing his breath. Their lips broke apart, each gasping for air.

Slowly they both began to move, the pace agonizing in its sluggishness. "Jack, God you're so hard. I-I-I-" Irina lost her train of thought as Jack's hips jerked a little harder against her own.

For a while they continued their lazy pace, rocking and thrusting together, their future cradled between their bodies. Soon, their speed increased, needing to find their release.

Jack dropped his mouth from its place against hers, to lap at her breast once more. Her muscles tighten around his shaft in response. "Harder Jack, harder."

"Irina, you're perfect. I haven't felt this amazing for such a long time." Jack moved his hands behind her back, steadying her as she bent backward toward the grass. The sudden shift of positions drew him deeper inside of her.

"OhGodOhGodOhGod." She chanted with every thrust. The heat of the night and the effort of their passions caused beads of sweat of form on both their bodies.

A sense of urgency built, their measured movements giving way to powerful wayward thrusts. One of Jack's hands moved to Irina's front, running the length of her body, from her breasts to her legs, wrapped around his waist and back again. Leaning down, Jack placed a tender kiss on her stomach, savoring the evidence of their last encounter. His hips thrust upward, rubbing against her clit, eliciting a cry from her.

"You're so beautiful Irina. So beautiful. I want you to come for me beautiful. Let go and come with me." Jack instructed.

"JackJackJack." Her breathing was labored, the sensations too much for her. Her entire body felt like it was on fire, with Jack continuing to stoke her, urging the flames higher and higher. "Jack I'm coming." Her breathless reply got lost as her orgasm shattered her thoughts. Irina felt she was screaming something but couldn't figure out what it was for the life of her.

In the midst of her own orgasm, she felt Jack grip her tighter, spasms taking hold of his body. His own cries were followed by the force of him emptying himself inside of her. Riding out their pleasure together, Jack pulled her back up and against his chest.

"How did we live without that for so long?" Jack wondered aloud once then had come down from their orgasmic high.

"We didn't live, merely existed." Irina laid her forehead against his, leaning in to steal a kiss.

A foreign sound ripped through the night air. Its noise was greater than the music but it emanated from the same place across the inlet.

"Go Jack!" Someone yelled.

"You're my hero man!" Another screamed in a drunken slur. The rest of the party-goers cheered and hooted into the night, clearly having enjoyed the show they got to listen to.

"American tourists." Jack muttered, not sure if he felt embarrassed or giddy. He decided he was a little of both.

"They obviously liked your performance. I must say I agree with them, it was outstanding." Irina smiled against his lips.

"Can they see us from there?" Jack kept his lips close to hers, basking in her nearness.

"Not unless they have binoculars, which I wouldn't put past them. They're probably college students on vacation for the summer. It's always nice to help out the less fortunate Jack; hopefully they learned something from you." Jack's laughter vibrated against her body, where they were still joined.

"Now who's the flatterer?" Jack hugged her with more force.

"I have nothing but nice things to say about the man who just got me off." Irina kissed his neck. "Keep me in a constant state of post-coital bliss and I would think you'd be complimented more than you could ever fathom."

Unwrapping her legs from round his body, Irina moved to stand. The hollering from across the inlet had ceased, the young people growing bored with the lack of activity coming from the roof. As Jack slipped out of her, Irina sighed at the lost.

"Come on." She stood on shaky legs with Jack beside her.

"Where are we going?" Jack dipped to kiss her clavicle.

"It's a perfect night for skinny dipping." Without looking back, Irina's nude form retreated to the stairs and disappeared.

By the time Jack made his way to the pool-side she was already treading water in the deep end. He walked around to the other end and dove in beside her. The water was just cool enough to take the heat away from his skin but warm enough to keep them from getting chilled.

"How did I ever resist you?" Jack joked with her as he swam to her side.

"I have no idea. I'm otherwise irresistible." The water epitomized the evening for them, making them both feel lighter and carefree, at least for the moment. Jack moved to an area where he could touch the bottom, Irina wound her legs around his middle to hold her up. They shared a lighthearted kiss with the water lapping around them.

"I knew that grass would come in handy one day." Irina murmured against his lips.

"Think we disturbed the baby much?"

"That's the great thing about the baby and I sharing my body; when his mommy's happy he's happy." Irina tightened her legs around him.

"He?" Jack's eyes held a measure of wonder.

"I thought you may have found out it was a boy when you had the tests done." Irina shrugged.

"No, I didn't even think of asking, nor did Dr. Maridakos volunteer the information." He paused. "We're having a boy?"

"So it would seem." Irina smiled at his stunned expression. "So, what do you think? The next Jonathan Bristow?" One of her hand's traveled up the back of Jack's head.

"No, not a chance. We are not naming him after me." Jack's face clearly read as though he thought the idea preposterous.

"But I like your name. He could be our little Action Jackson." Irina raised her eyebrows and slid lower, grinding against him.

"I'll compromise with you. I'll be your Action Jackson and we'll find another name for our son." Jack's hands skirted along the outside of Irina's thighs under the water, his use of 'our' giving them both excited chills.

"Compromise? Isn't that what normal couples do?" Irina nipped at his bottom lip before soothing it with a kiss.

"Who knows, we may be normal yet." Jack raised an eyebrow at her furrowed brow.

"How….boring." She exclaimed. "We do abnormal so well." Again she ground against him.

"You're obviously delirious. It would likely be best to get you to bed." Jack walked to the shallow end with her wrapped around him.

"I'm not delirious nor am I tired." She protested as Jack walked them both out of the water before placing her on the stone underfoot. Grabbing two towels from the outdoor shelving he wrapped one around himself before curling the other around Irina's body.

"I didn't say we had to go to sleep." Jack gathered her in his arms and kissed her forehead tenderly. "Come on Action, let's go to bed."

"I thought Action was your name." Irina snuggled into Jack's side as they walked into the house.

"We can share it."

"Sharing, compromising? I'm afraid to ask what's next. At this rate we'll be so normal by the time the baby's born we'll have killed each other." Irina deadpanned.

Jack laughed warmly as they closed the door and shut off the lights for the evening.

**TBC**


	26. Introduce Me

**DAY 6 - VILLA, SYROS**

Eight in the morning in Greece saw the sun high in the sky, lighting the land with insurmountable power. Jack shifted comfortably in bed, running his fingertips teasingly up and down Irina's back. Before his eyes opened to the daylight Jack began cataloguing things he had to do and more importantly things he'd like to do during his waking hours.

Cracking his eyes open, gave him a view of long brown hair, slightly wavy from their late night swim. His hands continued tracing patterns on Irina's back while savoring the moment of peaceful contentment.

"Is this my cue to wake up?" Irina mumbled into Jack's chest, feeling his hands running over her.

"We don't have to get out of bed at all today."

"Tell that to your son." Irina's lips moved against his bare skin, her eyes remaining closed. "I have about five minutes before I have to make a bathroom trip and find something to eat."

"After our activities last night, I could do with something to eat." Jack exhaled against her hair, rousing her enough to lift her head off his chest and greet him with her eyes.

"Good morning." She smiled, leaning in to kiss him thoroughly.

"Good morning." Jack smiled back, drawing his hand through her hair. "So if we're not going to spend our day in bed, what ever are we going to do?"

Irina smiled and nipped at his chin. "After last night, I don't think I could do much more than lounge around the house."

"As long as you're lounging in as little as possible, I have no complaints." They shared a few more tender kisses before Irina rolled out of bed to make her bathroom trip.

"Like clockwork." She announced as she padded across the marble floor, with Jack's gaze heavy on her nude form.

"I really should call Sydney. She has a tendency to worry needlessly over me." Jack leaned over the bed and captured a pair of boxers and a t-shirt, not prepared to speak to their daughter in the buff.

"The sentiment is most certainly returned. She has a fierce protector in you." Irina called from the bathroom.

"Yes, well the 'fierce protector' is having a difficult time getting used to calling her at Vaughn's."

"Our daughter moves in with Agent Vaughn and you don't tell me until now?" Irina walked from the bathroom in a pair of Jack's boxers and a tank top, pleased the underwear fit around her waist.

"It must have slipped my mind." Jack rolled his eyes, not prepared when Irina pounced on him, knocking him down on the bed.

"Slipped your mind? Now Jack, this boy seems to make our daughter happy so we won't contemplate any torture or disfigurement unless he does something that puts that happiness in jeopardy." Irina kneeled over his body.

"I suppose Sydney could do worse." His hands grasped her thighs.

"Unfortunately there isn't much hope for our daughter." Irina looked crestfallen. "I've already claimed the best man as mine, everyone else is second rate in comparison." A wicked gleam sparkled in her eyes. "I need something to eat. The phone line is secure. I'd tell you to give her my love, but I have a feeling that might arouse suspicion." Getting off the bed, Irina smiled broadly on her way back to the ensuite to pull her hair up.

"You're in an awfully good mood today." Jack sat up and reached for the phone.

"Multiple orgasms do that to me." She smiled into the mirror at her own relaxed expression. "Make your phone call Action. I'll get something ready for breakfast."

As the phone rang through Jack felt Irina place a soft kiss to the back of his neck and rub his back quickly before retreating from the room.

"Hello?" Sydney spoke with an obvious smile.

"Sydney, it's me."

"Dad? I was starting to get worried. I know you said you wouldn't call for a few days but after everything we've been through, I couldn't help but worry." Her concern was exactly as expected, causing Jack to smile gently.

"I'm fine Sweetheart. Quite surprisingly I'm enjoying myself." He paused. "Is everything okay at work?"

"Yeah, although we've had an eventful few days." She hedged slightly, unsure of how to broach the topic racing through her mind. "The Secretary General of the United Nations' wife and children were kidnapped; the CIA received an anonymous call that seemed to mysteriously go through all the right channels leading Dixon and me to recover them."

"Was the mission successful?" Jack was already trying to decipher the importance of the mission.

"We found them and returned them to Switzerland. They hadn't been hurt; the group had taken them only for leverage. But that's not- Dad, Kofi Annen and his wife knew Mom and they hinted that she was the one who orchestrated their safe return."

Jack turned the information over in his mind, wondering at the validity of Irina's attempt at hiding only to make such a bold move. His blood pressure began to rise with the first stabs of betrayal. More secrets.

"Did they tell you how they knew your mother?" He was careful to keep his voice controlled.

"No, they said it wasn't their place to say." Sydney huffed into the phone. "I'm sick of these crumbs I get about Mom and her life over the last twenty years. I'm not going to spend my life trying to piece this twisted puzzle together, only to have the picture keep changing." Jack said nothing in response. "I'm sorry Dad; I should have waited until you got back bother you with this. I'm just frustrated." Her sigh recaptured her father's attention.

"I'd forget about it if I were you Sydney. Irina Derevko does things only to further her own interests." Jack's resolute tone told Sydney to drop the conversation.

"I'm really glad you called Dad." She paused, wondering if she should continue. "I've missed you." She held her breath, waiting for his reply.

"I've missed you too. I'll call you again to let you know when I'll be back. Take care of yourself and be careful." Jack's grip on the phone tightened, anticipating the next conversation he would have that morning.

"I will. Bye Dad." Sydney smiled against the receiver.

"Good-bye Sydney."

Sitting on the edge of the bed for a few minutes longer, Jack collected his thoughts, preparing himself for whatever battle lay ahead. Irina had a knack for keeping things from him; he would give her that.

Hearing Jack descend the stairs, Irina smiled to herself. She moved to meet him in the living room but caught the look on his face.

"What is it? Did something happen to Sydney?" The worry on her face made Jack waver slightly, caving momentarily to quell her fears.

"No. But maybe you can explain to me why the truth is so difficult for you." Jack's stony mask of the first few days returned.

"Would you care to enlighten me further? I have been honest with you." Irina's forehead creased in confusion.

"Sydney relayed an interesting mission she was on this week. It seems she met an acquaintance or two of yours." Realization final touched her expression. "One step forward and ten steps back, wouldn't you say Irina. Any reason for this particular lie or is it merely a difficult habit to break." Nothing in his voice gave anyway his state of anger; he was cold.

"I didn't lie about anything."

"It's a lie by omission Irina! Why can't you trust me with the truth? I don't want pieces of your honesty, I want its entirety." Jack yelled, his own head pounded with the effort.

"I understand there are things you can't tell me about your work Jack, it's the same for mine. I've made promises and commitments to people, that their dealings with me would remain anonymous, I will not break those confidences." Her conviction shocked Jack into deflating marginally.

"And what about your promises and commitments to me? Do they resonate on any scale of importance? I'm not going to be party to your half-truths; you can either tell me what is going on or remain silent, watching me walk out that door." His arm waved in the direction to the front hallway.

"Slinging ultimatums won't do either of us any good. Don't be so bloody juvenile Jack. Not everything is about you and me. Some things are bigger than us."

"NO, some things were bigger than us, now they are us. Everything hinges on you Sydney and me Irina. For many reasons I don't even understand, and now-" his eyes drifted to her stomach. "Now we're bringing someone else into this world, someone else who will be open to hurt, betrayal, pain and the possibility of being sucked into this life."

"You don't think I'm aware of that Jack? That I not terrified of what lay ahead for our son? That I don't wish I was a different woman and could promise him a life free from the atrocities of this one? I spend every minute wondering if I'm going to hurt our son like I did our daughter. If I'll be forced to leave him and trade his happiness to protect his life. I can have good intentions of not reliving past mistakes but that means nothing in our world. Not when Arvin Sloane, the CIA or any other terrorist organization can take that opportunity from my child and me. You may want me to be honest but you're still CIA; I can't ask even more of you than I already have, I wouldn't."

The sheer emotion she poured into her tirade stunned Jack silent. It was too easy to fall back into a pattern of not trusting her; he had done so for twenty years. Three nights before she had been willing to give up, aware she was fooling herself into believe they could start over. However, he had never been one to roll over and admit defeat adnd now was not the time to take up rolling.

"What happens here stays here Irina. The minute I stepped onto this island, I ceased being a CIA agent and became your husband." She looked up sharply at his soft words.

Sighing heavily, Irina dropped onto the sofa and waited for Jack to follow her example. She was thankful when he sat in the chair adjacent to her as oppose to beside her, the distraction would not have been welcome.

"When Gorbachev instituted perestoika it was the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union. Factions of government and KGB were already planning contingencies, I was still very much invested in finding myself through Rambaldi's works." The roll of her eyes wasn't significant as the sarcasm flooded her words. "By the time I had found fault with Rambaldi's writings, the territories were being divided up in Russia; organized crime was taking its stand and I wanted revenge." Jack sat back in the chair as Irina shook with fury.

"Yuri Sarikova was a high ranking member of the Communist party and received one of the biggest territories. He was also the man who ordered my unrestricted interrogation in Kashmir. He and my father had fought together in World War II; they were friends. He sentenced his friend's daughter to that hell. I wanted him dead." Her knuckles had turned white from her effort to keep them clenched in fists. "He thought I was dead until I showed up on his doorstep and shot him pointblank. What I had yet to understand was that I now had the rights to his territory." Jack nodded along. "I didn't particularly want it nor did I want to give it away; so it sat there, until someone tried to take it. I fought back and won, gaining more territory and more power. My organization had gain most of the shipping rights in Russia and I controlled most of the ports, the scope of my power seemed to appear out of thin air. I had set out to get retribution and ended up one of the most powerful people in Russia."

Jack looked skeptical at her, urging her to continue. "I still wasn't….all there….after Kashmir. I acted more on impulse and defensive measures than anything else. I wasn't a game theorist, nor did I have the analytical skill at the time to even attempt such; Kashmir had dulled my intelligent thought, I was left to rely on instinct." Folding and unfolding her hands in her lap, Irina carried on.

"In 1991 I was in Sweden and met Nane and Kofi Annen. They were visiting her family and we struck up a dialogue. It turned out Kofi was heading up an investigation and documentation of the growth of organized crime following the collapse of the Soviet Union for the UN. I took a risk and told him who I was and how I came to hold such power, he in turn offered me a job."

Jack had not been expecting her to say that, consequently sitting up straighter in his seat. "He offered you a job? What could he have possible hired you to do?"

"He wanted me to work organized crime from the inside, expand my operation, flush out others and hand over information regarding rivals and budding organizations. We began working together, often communicating through Nane as no one in the United Nations was aware of the partnership nor was anyone I worked with. It took a while but eventually we began seeing results. Opium rights were manipulated, owners were catalogued and monitored. He took a great risk using me but things appeared to be running smoothly and then a few years ago everything changed."

"When he was appointed Secretary General of the Security Council we finally had the power to exact real change. Since the middle of the nineties Nane, Kofi and myself have been working on a reform for the UN, restructuring that will extend its power and allow for votes to occur where change can be exacted. With five countries holding veto power it was impossible to see significant transition, the reformed UN wouldn't be as flawed. The problem was, getting everyone in the current Security Council to agree to the reforms. In most cases it will not be in the advantage of some of the more independently powerful countries." Jack nodded again, working to assimilate all she was telling him. "I've spent that last ten years cultivating relationships and collecting favours from members of the United Nations so that we might be successful in the reformations. Sloane endangers the progress we've made; almost two years ago I set into motion a plan that would see to his end." Dropping her eyes from the intensity of Jack's stare, Irina watched a shadow place across the living room rug.

"When you turned yourself into the CIA…." Jack trailed off.

"Let's face it Jack, the United Nations in its current state is a joke. Changes need to be made before someone like Sloane takes it upon himself. I'll admit that my actions aren't completely altruistic. I've been plagued by guilt every since I had to leave you and Sydney, I think I wanted to do this to make up for all I had done to hurt you both; to make Sydney proud of her mother. The United Nations would not have been able to agree on a course of action to rescue Nane and the children; I knew Sydney would get them out safely."

"Doesn't it put your safety in jeopardy when you make contact with others?" Jack sat forward a bit.

"The nature of my partnership with Secretary Annen doesn't allow me to cut off all communication. However, despite a few people being able to contact me, you are the only person who is aware of my current location or condition."

"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" Jack furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Which of the five veto powers do you think is going to oppose the new structure of the UN the most Jack? Twenty years ago I wasn't willing to make you choose between your patriotism and your wife; I don't what to force that choice on you now either."

"And what if I told you that both times I would have chosen my wife." They shared a meaningful look before Jack moved to sit beside her on the sofa. "The American government my not be too pleased with the reformed UN but I don't believe they'll stand in its way. Especially if you charm them into agreeing." Jack's hand landed on her back. "I'm assuming that was why you spent time gaining influence in NATO and the UN."

"I needed my organization to influence the votes of the permanent members of the Council." Silence stole minutes as both of them tried to carefully form their next thoughts. "You were right Jack, one step forward and ten steps back. I can't live like that. I understand it may be difficult but I need you to trust that I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you or Sydney. If you want to know something, just ask me. I can't promise I'll be able to give you the answers you want but I can try." Irina's hand rubbed Jack's bare knee lightly, needing the connect of touch.

"I'm sorry I yelled. You're right, I should have just asked. Some may think I'm foolish but I've already have begun to trust you Irina. It's why I got so angry when Sydney told me about her mission." Jack kissed her forehead, relaxing in the wake of her explanation.

"You still haven't filed those annulment papers." Irina grinned at him.

"There are too many advantages to being married to you; I burned those papers." Jack kissed her soundly. "Is breakfast still safe to eat or should I avoid food for the day?"

Irina smiled. "It think you're safe but you never know, I heard your wife can be vicious."

"Nah, she's not so bad. She's only vicious when her husband jumps to conclusions and makes an ass of himself." Jack kissed her again, pulling them both off the couch.

"I like my husband's ass." She grabbed his and squeezed.

"The feeling is mutual." They shared another kiss and a laugh then made their way to the kitchen.

**DAY 13 - VILLA, SYROS**

For a week Jack and Irina had been getting along. Jack had shared what he could of Sydney's formative years and listened as Irina would explain where she had been during a particular event. In seven days Jack felt he had learn more about his wife than in the ten years he had known her before. He had been loath to admit it but he was had still loved her when he arrived on the island almost two weeks before. In the time he had spent with her, he had found himself falling in love again and again. He felt lighter and happier than he had in years thanks to his wife.

The phone ringing was an anomaly for the house but on that particular morning it was heard. Irina was outside doing what Jack could only guess was yoga or something similar and was almost startled by the noise.

"Action, are you expecting a call?" Jack called through the open French doors. Irina had allowed him to look over the plans for the restructured UN a few days before, and he was still working his way through them.

"No Honey. You can answer it." Irina yelled back.

"Hello?" Jack picked up the cordless phone in the living room.

"Mr. Bristow, its Peter Maridakos. I'm calling with the RFLP results. Is your wife close by?"

"No, she's outside at the moment." Jack wondered at the anxiousness he heard in the doctor's voice.

"That's probably a good thing. I have some disturbing news for you…."

"_That's probably a good thing. I have some disturbing news for you."_

Jack couldn't speak over the lump quickly forming in his throat. "I'm sorry Mr. Bristow, but the RFLP showed no differences in compatibility; it would seem that stem cell treatment is out of the question."

Jack released a sigh of relief at the doctor's words. It was disheartening to realize that all the time he and Irina had spent together, learning about one another over two weeks, dissolved so quickly into fear of mistrust. Acknowledging the disappear in the doctor's tone at not being able to provide him with a cure, Jack hurried to reassure him.

"Actually Dr. Maridakos, I received the comprehensive results of my tests earlier this week, it would appear my first test was a false positive. My doctors in the States believe I'll be just fine. I apologize; I should have called you to let you know."

Dr. Maridakos breathed a sigh of relief then chuckled. "I'm glad to hear that. I hate making the phone calls that spell bad news."

"Thank you for getting back to me with the results so quickly; surely you're busy." Jack relaxed against the side of the sofa. His gaze wandered outside to Irina who was balancing on one foot, seemingly stretching at an awkward position.

Dr. Maridakos' warm laughter filtered over the line. "Things have actually been slow of late, but you won't hear me complaining. Any excuse I have to spend more time at home, I'll take."

"Now that I can understand." Jack chuckled along with the doctor, keeping his focus on Irina.

"Actually, this wasn't just a professional call. My wife, Helen and I were wondering if you and your wife would be interested in coming over for dinner tonight. I know its short notice but Helen loves to entertain and when she heard that you two were relatively new to the island she wouldn't stop pestering my until I asked."

Jack wasn't sure if it was the time away from the CIA, the island or Irina but he was inclined to take him up on the invitation. "That sounds great; just let me check with my wife." Jack hit the mute button on the phone and walked the short distance to the open doors.

"Action, are you up for a night out?" Jack caught her attention as she rearranged herself on the mat.

"What did you have in mind?" Irina smiled softly, her sunglasses obscuring his view of her eyes.

"Dr. Maridakos from the hospital lab is on the phone and has invited us to his house for dinner. It would seem his wife would like to make our acquaintance."

"What do you make of the doctor?" Despite her hidden eyes, Jack knew suspicion was brewing in them.

"Nothing nefarious as far as I can tell. He seems genuine."

"Alright then, let's go."

Jack pressed the mute button once again. "Dr. Maridakos?"

"Peter." The man replied.

"Then I insist you call me Jack." His eyes followed Irina folding herself up on the mat and breathing evenly. "What time would you like us there?"

"How's seven?"

"Great. Directions?" Jack questioned.

"Same route you took to the hospital but instead of the last left you made, make a right our house is the forth one on the right hand side." Peter's smile was evident over the phone as Jack hung up.

"Making friends?" Irina taunted from her mat.

"Everywhere I go. I'm very likeable." Jack placed the phone on one of the stone benches and moved to stand behind Irina.

"How safe do you think this is? Meeting people." She placed her sunglasses on top of her head, effectively pulling the strands away from the sides of her face.

"I have to leave in two days and go back to L.A. I want to know that there is someone close by that you can call on if you need help." Jack sat down behind her and massaged her shoulders.

"I don't want to put them in danger Jack." She leaned into him.

"You don't have to; it would however put my mind at ease." His lips danced across her neck to her collarbone and back again.

"Do you know how long it's been since I went to a dinner party? What am I supposed to talk about with these people?" Irina imitated a mock conversation they could encounter at dinner. "What do I do for a living? Well, I do happen run one of the largest crime syndicates in the world. Why thank you; it is quite the accomplishment." She rolled her eyes.

"So we avoid talking about what you do. Helen Maridakos gave birth to their youngest child three years ago at forty-nine. I'm sure there is a dinner party's worth of information she would love to impart to you about motherhood later in life."

Irina sighed, her shoulders relaxing under Jack's ministrations. "That would be nice." His hands ran under her shirt, playing over the soft skin of her back. "I've been a little self-conscious about being pregnant at fifty."

She felt Jack smile against her hair. "Irina Derevko, self-conscious?"

"Irina Derevko can't afford to be self-conscious. But Irina Bristow feels as though everyone's eyes are on her." They both smiled at that.

"That's because everyone's eyes are on you. They can't get over how stunningly beautiful you are. And trust me, not a single one of them would guess your age." Irina turned slightly to place her lips on his. "You're out here every day; can't you take one day off from your yoga?"

"It's healthy for me and the baby. And you know that thing I do with my leg around your neck?" Irina's voice became huskier as Jack's eyes pooled with desire.

"Yes."

"You can thank yoga for that."

"Alright then, I'll leave you to it." Jack jumped up from the mat but her hand stopped him.

"I'm done anyway. What time do we have to be at dinner?"

"Seven." Jack helped her up. "What do you suppose we do until then?"

"How about a relaxing swim." Jack rolled his eyes.

"You're not going to make me race again are you?" He shook his head.

"Now Jack, it's just a little friendly competition between a husband and wife."

"There is nothing friendly about it Action. You're liable to drown me."

"Not a chance." Irina told him seriously. "You're too wonderful in bed for me to get rid of you now."

**LATER**

"Action, did you get the wine and the flowers?" Irina called from her makeup table.

"They're by the door. Are you about ready to go?" Jack asked as he climbed the stairs to their room. Smiling as he realized that through the course of two weeks everything had become 'theirs'.

"Mmmhmm. I just need you to do me up." The conversation was reminiscent of their days together twenty years before save for the small matter of the torrent of lies lying between them then.

Irina gave herself the once over in the mirror and decided it was good enough. Her dress was primarily brown with red and beige patterned across it. The dress was simple and trendy, perfect for a casual dinner.

"You look absolutely beautiful." Jack kissed the roundness of her shoulder after zipping her up.

"I look like I'm hiding a grapefruit under my dress. But you're looking quite handsome." They spent a moment looking at their reflection in the mirror, showing them the image of a happy couple for the first time in two decades. "We're becoming one of those couples." Irina laughed. "We match." She indicated Jack's red golf shirt and khaki pants.

"I consider it a better fate than you not believing I coordinated my outfit well enough and making me change." Jack held her purse as she slipped her shoes on.

"Let's not keep our hosts waiting." Irina gave Jack a quick kiss on their way out the door.

**TBC**


	27. Meet Me

**PETER AND HELEN MARIDAKOS' HOUSE – SYROS**

"Jack! So glad you two could make it." The two men shook hands.

"Peter, I would like you to meet my wife Irina." Jack kept his hand at the small of her back as their host ushered them inside.

"Irina, so nice to finally put a face to the test samples." He smiled, leaning over to kiss both her cheeks in greeting.

"Thank you for the invitation and for taking such a special interest in our case." Irina smiled at the man, reveling in his kindness.

"I'm pleased everything worked out. Please, come meet my wife."

The house had marble floors with rich colors on the walls and beautiful fabrics on the sofa. The house had definitely been built with a North American flare, very little of the European architecture present. Peter escorted them into the kitchen which sported mostly American and German name brands on the appliances.

"Jack, Irina, my wife Helen." Peter smiled at the woman standing over the open oven. She straightened and turned to face her guests with a smile as warm and kind as her husband's. "Helen, meet Irina and Jack Bristow."

Helen was nothing like Jack or Irina had pictured her. She was at least five eight, with dark red hair, fair skin and blue eyes. Her hair had a slight curl to it but had been styled to avoid detection. Her slim body was covered by a spaghetti strapped sundress of bright green and blue, screaming summer.

"It's so nice to meet you both." Helen walked around the counter to shake hands with each of them. Jack and Irina returned the handshake and the smile. "Oh you didn't have to bring anything with you." Peter took the bottle of wine and placed it on the counter, while Helen took the flowers. "These are beautiful. Thank you." She gushed over the colorful arrangement. "Did you find the house easily?"

"It was no problem." Irina spoke gently, easing into the other woman's presence.

"Dinner should be ready in about twenty or thirty minutes." Helen seemed to have the same boisterous spirit her husband did, showing little signs of her age. She was a contrast to Peter in every way. Where his hair was white, hers radiated color; where her skin was pale his maintain a deep olive complexion.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Irina asked kindly.

"Everything is pretty much done; we're just waiting on the roast." Helen looked up at her husband. "Peter, why don't you take Jack and Irina on a tour of the house while we're waiting on dinner."

"Sure." Peter appeared pleased with the suggestion.

"Actually, I think I'll stay here and keep Helen company, I'm sure you two can occupy yourselves." Irina wrapped her arm around Jack's waist, her eyes dancing.

"I don't know, do you think you can manage to stay out of trouble?" Jack teased.

"You're mistaken Sweetheart. I am trouble." Her eyes lit wickedly as she and Jack shared a smile and their hosts laughed out loud.

"I think we better go on that tour Peter." Jack squeezed Irina's hand before they walked out of the kitchen.

"You two are definitely a breath of fresh air." Helen moved about the kitchen, placing the flowers in a vase.

Irina released a bark of laughter. "Is that what you call it?"

"Can I get you something to drink?"

"Juice if you have it please." Irina smiled and sat down at the kitchen table.

"With a three-year-old in the house, I have plenty." Helen got herself a glass as well and sat down at the table. "Peter loves his wine at dinner but I'm not much of a drinker. Half a glass and I'm done." 

"Your house is lovely. Not usually what you would find in Greece." Irina took a sip of the strawberry juice.

"When we moved to Greece fifteen years ago we lived on the mainland. It was fun and exciting but after a vacation to the island Peter and I decided to move. Eight years after we bought a piece of land, the house was ready." She smiled. "I had no idea how difficult it was to build anything in Greece."

"I know. Jack was working so the task of building the house fell to me. I just decided to pay the tariffs and bring in a foreign builder and contractor." Irina became more animated as she relaxed into the environment.

"And how do you like it here?"

"I came for the quiet and solitude I wouldn't have been able to find anywhere else." Irina sensed there was more to the question than Helen was letting on. "I was lonely though, when Jack wasn't here. It's a big adjustment to make." She paused before asking her own question. "What about you? Are you close with any of the other women in the town?"

Helen tilted her head, seemingly conceding defeat. "Peter loves it here and I do enjoy it. The weather is wonderful and we have a fairly luxurious lifestyle but I'm not Greek." Irina inclined her head for Helen to continue. "The people are friendly but that doesn't mean they're inviting. I don't really have any girlfriends to speak of on the island."

"Is it the language barrier? Or something else?" Irina sympathized with the woman after spending ten years in a foreign land that her training could have never fully prepared her for.

"I understand and speak Greek fairly well but I don't know if I would call myself fluent. I think a large part of it has to do with Sophia my youngest daughter. Most women my age on the island are becoming grandmothers, there aren't too many people I can associate with that can understand the plight of a three-year-old at my age. They don't condemn me for it by any means, they just don't understand.

"I suppose it would be difficult with such a small population to draw from." Irina leaned forward almost conspiratorially. "When I found out I was pregnant I was terrified. There are of course all the normal concerns, then I started thinking about all of the problems babies of older mothers can face and now that those fears were assuaged I've been left terrified that I just won't be able to be a mother at fifty, mentally or physically."

"You're not fifty." Helen shook her head.

"I am." Irina smiled.

"Please tell me you've had plastic surgery and you colour your hair." Helen's eyes were wide with surprise but her smile remained.

"No surgery and definitely no dye." Irina took another sip from her glass.

"That is just not fair." Helen joked.

"You're one to talk." Irina admonished. "From what I can guess by Sophia's age, I would say you are in your early fifties as well; however, no one would believe you."

"Ah, the benefits of staying out of the sun." Helen pressed her hand to her cheek.

"I try to tell Jack the same thing but he still insists on lying outside for hours without sunblock." Irina furrowed her brow in dismay.

"Peter can spend all day in the sun and not appear even flushed. Five minutes and I'm cooked." Their smiles abated slightly as Helen once again opened the topic of motherhood. "I wouldn't worry too much if I were you. Trust me when I say it's more trouble than its worth. I think most people would be surprised at life's propensity to work itself out." Helen said seriously.

"I think I may finally be figuring that out." Irina glanced in the direction Jack and Peter had gone.

"Enough of the dismal talk." Helen nearly clapped her hands together. "I want to know the important stuff. When are you due? And what are you having?"

"November and a boy."

"That would be the reason you are carrying out front." Irina tilted her head in confusion. "I know people think it's an old wives tale but I haven't been wrong yet. I've had two boys and two girls, with both my girls I felt as though my behind had tripled in size, I got round, with my boys I my stomach would turn the corner before I did." 

The buzzer on the oven went off, signaling the completion of cooking time. Helen got up to tend to their dinner while Irina followed suit. She placed her glass on the counter and turned to speak to Helen when suddenly a streak of red, yellow and pink bolted into the room, barreling headlong into Irina's legs. Irina steadied them both as one of her arms instinctively wrapped around the little girl's back.

"Sophia!" Helen scolded.

"It's alright." Irina assured her, bending down to address the young kamikaze. "Hello Sophia. It's a pleasure to meet you." Irina held out her hand, which the little girl shook delicately. "My name's Irina."

"Say hi Sophia." Helen prompted.

"Hi." The small girl said softly. Her red hair was thick and wavy down her back and she was dressed in a yellow and pink shorts and tank set.

"What was it you were running from so quickly? You were going so fast I almost didn't see you." Irina's eyes widened dramatically, capturing the little girl's attention.

"My sister, she's after me. And she's going to send me to the monsters!" Her tiny voice reminded Irina of Sydney as a child.

"Sorry Mom, she got away from me." Another voice entered the kitchen.

"Ahhh!" Sophia screamed, launching herself back into Irina's arms. "The monsters!"

"What did you say to her Maria? You've scared the child half to death." Helen crossed her arms as she faced the young woman.

"Nothing. We were just playing." Maria defends her actions. "I know I'm supposed to keep her occupied for the night but she ran."

"Irina, allow me to introduce my other daughter Maria. Maria, this is Mrs. Bristow." Helen shook her head at her children.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Bristow." Maria smiled at Irina who was still bent to the ground with Sophia clinging to her.

"Irina, please." She smiled back at the girl.

"Maria's 22, and home from University. She attends school in the States." Helen turned back to the oven.

"What school are you at?"

"Georgetown. I'd like to go into medicine; do you know the area?"

"My husband and I both graduated from UMBC." Irina's response seemed to delight the girl.

"Come on Soph, time to go upstairs." Maria coaxed.

"No! You'll take me to the monsters." Sophia cried.

"She's fine for now Maria. I'll bring her upstairs in a little while." Helen dismissed her daughter.

"You know what Sophia, I'm starting to get a little stiff down here. Is it alright if I sit down?" She felt her nod against her legs and sat down in one of the kitchen chairs.

No sooner had she seated herself than Sophia climbed into her lap and snuggled against her. Helen turned to look at the sight and stifled a laugh.

"One thing my children are not is shy. Sorry you had to witness that little drama." Helen sighed, knowing half the time her family was out of her control.

"Not a problem." Irina wrapped her arms around Sophia to secure her in her lap. "I'll take all the practice I can get."

Jack and Peter reentered the kitchen sniggering about something. Jack's eyes were immediately drawn to Irina who had a tiny girl inhabiting her lap.

"Sophia strikes again." Peter moved toward his wife and helped her with the last details of dinner. "She takes up residence in the lap of everyone who walks through the door. You'd think we never paid her any attention."

"She does this with everyone? And I was just starting to feel important." Irina teased. She felt the small body lean heavier against hers.

"Well, she doesn't usually nod off like that with people." Peter indicated his snoozing daughter.

"The monsters were chasing her; they tired her out." Irina shifted the girl carefully.

"Monsters?" Jack raised his eyebrows at his wife, enjoying the picture she presented.

"Our older daughter Maria. She told Sophia monsters were chasing her." Helen explained. "That's fine; she can be the one to get up with Sophia when she has nightmares tonight."

"I'll take her up to bed." Peter picked his daughter up out of Irina's lap, carrying her upstairs.

Dinner had been an animated affair with both Peter and Helen entertaining the Bristows with family stories and interesting occurrences on the island. Irina was pleased to see Jack getting along so well with Peter; the two seemed to have the same twisted sense of humor and delighted in egging the other on. Soon enough the conversation turned to Jack and Irina, much to their apprehension.

"So, I never did ask if this will be your first child or not. I suppose I assumed not." Helen asked the other couple.

"Our second actually." Irina smiled.

"We have a daughter. Sydney." Jack supplied with a certain measure of pride.

"Is she living here on the island with you?" Peter questioned.

"No, she's back in the States. Her work keeps her there." Irina shrugged

"How old is Sydney?"

"Twenty-eight." Jack replied. "What's a little thirty year age difference between siblings." He deadpanned. Once the table had stifled their chuckles adequately the questions continued.

"What does she do?" Peter retained his smile.

"She worked for a bank while she was writing her dissertation, and now she's teaching at UCLA." Irina lied. It was more like a wish she prayed would come true, for her daughter to be a simple professor.

"Did you work after you graduated?" Helen asked, knowing Irina had gone to University.

"I taught at UCLA while I worked on my PhD." Irina decided that sticking to as much of the truth as possible was the best strategy for this situation.

"And you Jack?"

"Boring Corporate America." He smiled stiffly.

"And the two of you have been married for-"

"Thirty years." They said in unison, garnering a smile from the other couple.

"I meant to ask you Jack, what happen to your arm?" Peter indicated the raised scar on his forearm. The stitches had been taken out by Irina the day before.

"I surprised my wife while she had a knife handy. Not a mistake I'm bound to make again." He joked. Irina ducked her head in embarrassment.

"It appears as though you had a nice stitch job done. I doubt they'll be much of a scar there after it's healed. Who did the work for you?" Peter had shifted quickly to the persona of doctor.

"She who does the maiming does the stitching." Irina admitted sheepishly. "It was on his first day here too. He should never have come up behind me like that, but I felt horrible."

There was a lull in the conversation for a moment and it appeared as though Peter was working up the nerve to say something, finally he opened his mouth.

"You know, the most bizarre thing happened today. After I uploaded the RFLP results to your file and called you, I went back to make the adjustments once hearing that you weren't ill but your files were no longer in the computer. There wasn't even a deletion record."

"Well that's odd." Irina replied with feigned interest.

"I was just wondering if someone came around asking about you if I should mention the tests and your presence on the island." Peter watched Jack and Irina staring back at him calmly.

"It would likely be better if you didn't." Jack said simply.

"Alright then." Peter nodded his head in a silent promise.

"I notice a slight accent Irina and your name is most definitely not American." It seemed Helen had her own questions she wanted answers to.

"I was born and raised in Russia." Irina acquiesced. "I moved to the US when I was eighteen."

"Not boring corporate America." Peter began piecing the picture together.

"Boring and corporate, not really. America, yes." Jack held Irina's hand securely under the table, knowing their hosts were bright enough to pick up the hints.

"Do you both enjoy politics?" Helen raised her eyebrows at her dinner guests.

"It's somewhat of a necessary evil don't you think?" Irina tried to contain the smile blossoming on her face.

"Absolutely. But it's just not for me. Too convoluted. I'd just as well look the other way in many situations." Helen shrugged.

"I was thinking Helen, given that Jack is returning to the States in a few days, I'll have some time on my hands. I could help you learn the nuances of Greek; we could have you speaking like a villager in no time."

"I think that sounds wonderful. How is Tuesday for you?" Helen held Irina's gaze.

"Three o'clock, my place, we can do tea." Irina squeezed Jack's hand.

"I'll be sure to bring my Greek/English dictionary." Helen's comment was just the thing to lighten the mood as they left the topic for the rest of the evening.

**VILLA – SYROS**

Jack and Irina walked through the front door, kicking their shoes off and dropping onto the couch. With both their heads resting against the back cushions, they found his wife's hand and twined his fingers with hers.

"I ate too much." She groaned.

"There was so much food." Jack added.

"Were we really made by two civilians?" Irina closed her eyes against the overhead light in the living room.

"They are parents of three grown children and one three-year-old and we both know that parents make the best spies. Or is it spies make the worst parents?"

"What are you doing?" Irina asked as Jack got up and grabbed the phone.

"Programming Peter and Helen's number into the phone. He said if you need anything while I'm gone to call them."

"They're wonderful people." Irina sighed.

"Yes they are. We forget too easily that there are people like them in the world." Jack collapsed back down on the couch, only this time he was sitting snuggle against Irina.

"There aren't generally people like them in our world. They don't live in the world of kill or be killed." She leaned her head against his shoulder. "I want what they have Jack. I want to be making dinner while Sydney terrifies her little brother with stories of monsters or….Sloane." They shared a laugh at that, remembering too soon that the monster was real and the biggest obstacle in their life together.

"We deserve to be happy Honey. I don't know of anyone who deserves it more. We've paid the price not only of our own sins but the sins of others. We need to take Sloane out." Jack brushed her hair from her forehead before placing his hand on her stomach. "You're getting bigger."

"I'll be huge by the end of the summer." Her hands covered his over their son. "I could draw Sloane out-"

"No!" Jack interrupted forcefully.

"-if I wasn't pregnant and would risk hurting the baby." She looked at him pointedly.

Neither said another word, the night stilling to give them the moment of peace. When Irina's tears began soaking through Jack's shirt, he looked into her eyes.

"Tomorrow's you're last day here." She made no attempt to wipe the evidence of her sadness.

"I know, but we'll be together again before you know it. The time will fly by." Jack pulled her up and held her tight as they made their way upstairs.

"You're right. After twenty years, a few months is nothing."

**Day 14**

Jack felt the bed shift in the morning, as Irina rolled out and used the bathroom. She returned a few minutes later and snuggled back into his side, closing her eyes against the dawn of morning.

"Are you awake?" She asked Jack from her position against his side.

"Yes. Irina, I'm not leaving yet, you don't have to squeeze me so tightly." Jack rubbed her bare back. They had not worn cloths to bed since the night of their 'first date', pleasing Jack to no end.

"I already miss you." Her moist breath caressed his warm skin.

"Am I that boring?" He smiled softly.

"Boring is not a word I would associate with either of us. And you know that isn't what I meant." He could feel her frown and turned until he was on his side facing her.

"I know I'll miss you too but I'm not letting today slip by thinking about it. I have you for another twenty-four hours and I want your undivided attention."

"Woke up bossy today did you Action?" Irina smirked, kissing his palm as he ran it down the side of her face.

"Last night you were quite pleased with my bossiness." He grinned wickedly at her. "I believe you're exact words were- harder Jack, harder. That's right baby, you're the boss, God Jack you can be my boss any time." His tone rose and feigned breathlessness to imitate her. "Then it was a lot of Jackjackjack, after which I must admit I don't remember much."

Irina slapped him on his arm, trying and failing to stifle her laughter. "Damn it; guess I can't argue with fact." Her lips sealed over his, turning from gentle to passionate quickly.

"What would you like to do today, Mrs. Bristow?" He asked when they had to pull apart for air. Instead of answering, Irina looked down at his crotch. "Yes, we'll do that but surely there is something else you'd like to do." Jack waited for a response but received only raised eyebrows and a skeptical look.

"Irina-"

"Shhh. I'm savoring being called Mrs. Bristow." Irina closed her eyes and allowed a satisfied smile to light her features.

Watching her with sentimental joy, Jack smiled as well. "Are you done yet?"

Her eyes opened and regarded him with a scowl. "Yes." She relaxed against his body, kissing him again. "And as for how to spend the day, I want to stay just like this."

"You're not hungry?" Jack asked innocently, to which Irina's stomach growled.

"I am now." She pouted. "I suppose we could move downstairs. The couch is comfortable and that way you'll be closer to the kitchen to fetch me food."

"From husband to fetching boy in three seconds flat." Jack teased.

"Of course not Action, you can be both." Irina grinned indulgently before jumping from bed. She pulled on a thin tank top and shorts, foregoing underwear of any kind. "You better get out of bed Jack, before I begin looking for another fetching boy."

Jack followed her downstairs after making a quick stop at the room he had occupied during the beginning of his stay with Irina.

"Jack, could you get the fruit out the fridge we cut up yesterday." Irina placed a kettle of water on one of the gas burners to heat for tea.

Wrapping one arm around her growing waist, Jack held the other behind his back. "I bought you something." He kissed the side of her neck, holding her back tightly to his chest.

"How did you manage to buy something without me noticing, I haven't been fifteen feet from you for over a week." She turned her head enough to catch his eye.

Placing his other arm around her, he held the book out in front of her. "I picked this up on my second day here." She grasped the leather bound book in both her hands, tracing the edges carefully.

"You bought me something then?" Her voice was softened with awe.

"It's not much but it made me think of you the moment I saw it." He watched over her shoulder as she opened the cover and read the title and Chaucer's name.

"A forth addition of 'The wife of bath'." She smiled. "I hated Chaucer and his Middle English without reservation when I first picked up this book, but it was a requirement for my major. I made you spend an entire weekend with me, trying to figure out what the hell he was saying."

"I recall that weekend." Jack hoped she liked the gift.

"After that weekend, I loved Chaucer; couldn't get enough of him. Or maybe it was you I couldn't get enough of." She turned in the circle of his arms. "Thank you, Jack. I love it." The hand not holding the book drew him in for a grateful kiss. "I don't know how you happened upon a forth addition copy; they're scarce."

"Chance." Jack dropped a kiss on her forehead then moved away from her to retrieve the fruit from the fridge.

Taking a seat at one of the kitchen chairs, Jack was pleasantly surprised when Irina placed herself on his lap. "Hungry Jack?" She held a piece of melon to his lips, dripping with ripeness.

"Famished." His voice was rough with desire. Irina held tight to the fruit slice as his teeth and lips closed over half of it, sucking the juice from her fingers. The half he didn't eat; she popped into her own mouth.

With a third of the fruit devoured Irina finally acknowledged the growing bulge in Jack's lap she was sitting over. "Would you like to play Action?" She ran her tongue up his neck and sucked greedily at his ear.

"Like I said Irina, I'm famished." His hands grasped the hem of her tank-top and lifted it over her head, tossing it at their feet. The fruit had made their fingers and mouths chilled from the refrigerated air, heightening every touch. "Have I ever told you how much I love your breasts when you're pregnant. Not to say I don't love them all the time but when you're pregnant they're just-" Irina moaned as his lips covered her nipple, sucking on the sensitive tip with determination.

"Loose the shorts Jack." Irina's breathless response urged him to nip at her breast, pinching the other nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

"I'm the boss remember." The roughness of his cheeks and chin played against her soft skin when he smiled.

With shaking hands Irina lifted Jack's face to hers, imploring with her eyes what she needed. "Now Jack. I need you right now."

Shifting around as little as possible, Jack discarded his boxers and helped Irina with her own shorts, fitting her legs on either side on him. Seeking out the warmth between her folds, Jack ensured she was ready for him before lifting her off his lap. Her hands anchored on his shoulders as he slowly impaled her upon his hard member.

"I'm coming back Irina. I'll always back for you." He watched as her eyes filled with tears as he remained unmoving inside her.

"I know." Jack couldn't recall a time he had ever heard her voice so small. So unlike the fearless warrior she had been forced to mold herself into. "But I'm scared. Scared of everything." Her conspiratorial whisper was meant only for him as weakness was not a luxury she allowed herself. "Some things I'm scared of are irrational and completely unjustified but the things that terrify me most are the things that are real." Her muscles clenched around his dick, forcing him to grow harder within her. "Promise me you'll be careful. I can't live another twenty years without you."

"I promise. I'm not going anywhere. I have some of the best things to live for." Jack kissed her again, wiping away the lone tear that had escaped her soulful eyes and whispered in her ear. "Now be quiet, I'm trying to make love to my wife."

Irina squeezed her thighs muscles igniting a groan from her husband. His hips began moving, thrusting in and out of her hot wet core. She met him time and again, loving the feel of him as she sunk all the way down, rotated then pulling up, only to start the rhythm all over again.

It didn't take long for the thrusts to grow impatient and untamed. Each desperate to drive the other to their release while trying to reach their own oasis of pleasure. Irina closed her eyes, savoring how far they had come in two weeks, knowing everything she had ever wanted was only inches from her grip. But this time the life they were building would not fall through the cracks of her fingers like fine grains of sand. This time their future was that of stone; it would get chipped and scratched at times but would always remain solid.

"Open your eyes Irina. I want to see you." Jack kissed under her chin as he felt her orgasm build. With eyes trained steadily on one another, not a sound passed between them. Feeling him explode within her sent Irina off, the only thing grounding her was the look in his eyes; the look that said he loved her.

Sharp movement within her stomach alerted the lovers to their unintended audience. Suddenly Irina looked up with eyes wide, scrambling off Jack's lap, taking the warmth that surrounded his deflating member with it.

"I almost forgot I have an appointment with my doctor today." She checked the day book that sat on the kitchen counter. An object so mundane for someone of her international status yet surprisingly fitting of her contradictory nature.

"You have a doctor you can trust on the island?" Jack pulled his boxers back on, picked up Irina's cloths and followed her hurried steps upstairs.

"Yana and I have known each other since childhood. She became a doctor and I well…I became me." Irina had put a short red silk robe on to peruse her closet for something to wear to the hospital. "She was coming to my house in Russia to check on the baby and was willing to follow me to Syros for the remainder of the pregnancy." Selecting a white skirt that sat on the lower part of her stomach and travel to just above her knee, Irina placed it on the bed.

"This seems like a trend with us, but is she trustworthy?" Jack set about brushing his teeth.

"Her father was abusive. She spent a lot of time at my house; she was my only true friend growing up and I was her refuge." She explained.

"Was there a reason for the appointment?" Jack asked around his toothbrush.

"Nothing other than a check up. I'm high risk so I should see her as often as I can." Joining Jack in the bathroom, Irina took her turn brushing her teeth while Jack shaved.

"I was thinking we could eat lunch at the café at the beach. Seeing as though we'll be out anyway."

"Okay." Irina's muffled response made Jack smile.

"Are we sharing the shower?" Jack asked as he finished shaving and Irina dropped the robe and he his boxers.

"It will save time." She opened the heavy glass door, entering the granite cubicle.

"Whoever thought up sharing showers as a time saver was either extremely stupid or-"

Pulling on Jack's hand, Irina brought him into the shower with her. "-incredible brilliant." Kissing him, they moved under the spray.

**HOSPITAL – SYROS**

"Irina, good to see you again. How have you been feeling?" A petite black haired doctor entered the room, her accent much thicker than Irina's

"Wonderful. The baby has been more active and I've had more energy in the past few weeks than the first trimester."

"That's good to hear." She spotted Jack and looked between her patient and unknown man. "And who is this Irina?" She smiled.

"Yana, I'd like you to meet my husband Jack." Yana shook Jack's hand firmly. "I told you he really existed." Irina whispered loudly.

"I was starting to wonder Rina." Yana teased. "It's nice to meet you Jack."

"Nice to meet you as well."

"Alright, I don't have much time before my boat leaves, so let's get this done." Yana pulled out a chart she kept of Irina's pregnancy with her at home.

"Going back to Germany?" Irina laid down on the bed.

"Only for a two and a half weeks. I'll be back on the island for a few weeks after that." Yana felt around on Irina's abdomen.

"You don't live on the island?" Jack wondered aloud.

Yana laughed. "No. I love Rina like a sister but even she isn't enough to keep from wanting to spend time with my husband. He's a lawyer in Germany."

"I'll be fine Jack." Irina's assurance was not enough to ease the worry creeping over him.

"Ready for the ultrasound?" Yana pulled the machine around beside the bed.

"Yes. Let's do it quick; I have to go to the bathroom." The gallons of water she had to drink while they waited for Yana were beginning to demand attention.

"Here we go then." Moving the wand and gel over the distended surface, Yana watched the monitor. "There he is." Yana pointed in a U shape at the screen. "The head is right there and the spine and feet." Her finger followed all of the appendages she had named. "He's a great size for almost twenty-three weeks. And cute too. Only you could have a beautiful baby in-utero Rina." Yana shared a laugh with the parents to be.

Neither parent had taken their eyes off the screen and held tightly to the other's hand.

"You know, it isn't healthy to have sex passed the third month of pregnancy right Irina." Yana drew their startled attention from the monitor.

"What? No, but when I had my daughter it was-" Irina blanched at the thought. Jack paled thinking of the numerous times they made love ever day.

"I'm kidding." Yana's roar of laughter seem to startle them further. "I just wanted to make sure you two had a healthy sex life. The best mothers-to-be are the happiest and based on your response I would have to assume you're surpassing happiness and moving right onto elation." Yana continued to smile.

"That was cruel Yana." Irina glared at her doctor.

"Just repaying the favour. When we were six Irina convinced me I would turn into a tree because I ate a leaf when she dared me to." She informed Jack.

"Apparently holding a grudge is a learned trait in Russia." Jack raised his eyebrows.

"You would think." Irina pulled him down for a kiss.

"I should run if I'm going to make my boat. I'll see you in two and a half weeks. It was nice meeting you Jack." Yana kissed he and Irina on either cheek and blew out of the room as quickly as she had blown in.

"Interesting friend." Jack leaned over Irina on the bed.

"Yana is the perfect example of how to have an abnormal life without the fear of losing it." Closing the space between them, their lips met. "I think I'm ready for lunch."

"Okay, I'll bring the car up to the front of the hospital while you get changed."

Lunch at the café was relaxing and comfortable, but with Jack's departure a known inevitability. Their spot overlooking the water had also given them a view of their villa and the busy beach.

"Jack, I'm just going to run to the bathroom." She said after they had paid.

"Irina we're two minutes from the house." He rolled his eyes.

"Two minutes Jack." She responded and rushed in the ladies room.

"Jack?" He heard his name being called and turned around to face three young men.

"Do I know you?" His defenses were immediately up.

"Are you the Jack that lives in that house right there?" One of the guys pointed to the villa.

"Yes." He was suddenly more intrigued then anxious over the question.

"Dude, you're like a legend at our house. None of us had ever heard a woman scream that loud during sex man."

Realization dawn on him, with embarrassment quickly on its heals and finally good humour. "Well, you obviously weren't doing it right."

"How the hell do you do it?" The tallest of the three leaned in and dropped his voice.

"Can you gentlemen read?" He question.

"Yeah, we're all in University, what the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"All you have to do is read her body. It will tell you exactly what to do." The thought struck him that this may one day be his son, standing on a beach asking some guy about ways to make a woman scream. The image made him chuckle.

"That's it?"

"It's also good to remember that it was likely a woman who coined the phrase, 'slow and steady wins the race'; you're best route to go unless instructed otherwise."

"What does she look like? Did you like trade up?"

"Shut up Kyle. That is so rude." One of the other guys pushed 'Kyle' hard.

"Trade up?" Jack intoned.

"Yeah, you know, like trading in for a younger model. A younger woman." Kyle explained.

"Alright, I'm ready. I told you I would be two minutes." Irina returned to his side.

The three boys adopted smiles at getting a look at the other half of the couple. Their friends would never believe them when they told them.

"Irina, these are the boys staying across the inlet from us." His tone held an underscore of meaning which Irina picked up on.

"Really." Her eyebrows under her sunglasses. "Nice to meet you boys." She pulled the glasses up on top of her head, her gaze boring into them.

"Ni-ni-nice to me-meeeee-meet you." Each of them stumbled over the words, instantly smitten with her.

"It's getting a little too warm out for my taste Jack. We should go home and cool off in the pool." She turned back to the boys with her sexist smile. "Have a wonderful vacation boys." She sauntered up toward the parking lot, her long legs glistening brown in the bright sun.

"We've been married almost thirty years gentlemen. My suggestion to you is never trade up." He patted the shortest boy on the shoulder before walking to catch up with his wife.

"Dude was she pregnant?" Kyle asked.

"Who cares, she is so totally hot."

"I think she was pregnant." The tallest boy answered.

"Jack is definitely the man." Kyle said with the agreement of the other two. "Hey man, if they've been married for almost thirty years than she's old enough to be our mom."

"I wish I had a mom like her." The shortest boy said.

"No way man. If she was your mom you couldn't fantasize about her." The tallest boy watched with his friends as the couple drove away in their Mercedes convertible.

"Fine. I wish you had a mom like so I could fantasize about her." The shortest boy replied.

"You're sick dude. You better never look at my mother again."

**LATER THAT NIGHT**

"The pool seems a staple in our relationship. I remember seeing you on the deck for the first time at the swim practice. I had never seen anyone so beautiful." They were naked swimming floating in the water, darkness a perfect cover for their nervousness of the coming morning.

"You were just as a rewarding a sight when I arrived at the end of your practice. You were the most defined swimmer on the team." Irina ran her hands over his chest and stomach.

"The guys on the team took a poll that day on who would do you." Jack grinned, thinking about the envious looks he had received as they walked out to his car after practice every night.

"And what was your vote?" She held fast to his hands as they began treading water a foot from each other.

"I didn't really answer them. Just said that you weren't the type of girl you 'do', or something to that affect." Jack watched her face closely, mindful of the minutes slipping by on their last night together.

"Well then, what type of girl am I?" They began moving back toward the shallow end.

"I don't really remember what I said." Jack furrowed his brow in an attempt to resurrect the answer. Irina glanced down at the water and away from his steady gaze. "I'm almost certain I told them you were the type of girl a man falls in love with." Sliding against his body, she kissed him softly then rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Irina." Jack spoke after a long and comfortable silence.

"Yeah." She murmured, eyes closed in a sweet surrender to the night.

"I love you." Her eyes popped open as his words washed over her but she remained still otherwise; content to be held by her husband.

With a sly smile her eyes slipped close again, her reply a sigh. "Oh, okay."

Jack tensed against her and moved one of his hands down her spine to rest on her bare ass.

"Jack." Her voice held a warning tone.

"Yes."

"I love you more than I ever thought possible." Her whispered words, sent a rush from his ear to the rest of his body, but he didn't move, instead them reveled in their final truth.

"So, where the hell are the fireworks?" Jack eventually said. His gruff tone making her smile.

"I don't think that-" Irina stopped herself suddenly. "Oh my God." Jack looked at her wide eyes, focused on the landscape behind him. He turned, wanting to see what had captured her attention, only to be left speechless.

Flames danced daringly across the inlet at the house the university students had rented. Music suddenly boomed from their speakers; although its intensity eased upon reaching the other side. The flames grew higher as the music got louder.

Beside him, Irina had covered her mouth with her hand but could not maintain her control any longer. She released a deep laugh.

"Those kids are certifiable." Jack shook his head at their antics.

"There are our fireworks Jack."

The flames continued to burn, creating the words, 'Do It Up Jack and Irina!'.

"Where are you going?" He asked as Irina pulled away from him and got out of the pool.

"I'm just going to show them a little appreciation. They obviously worked very hard on their flaming sign." Wrapping herself in a towel, Irina moved to just inside the doors of the house and flickered the outside lights a few times. The music died down and an electrifying cheer went up across the water.

"You're just spurring them on." He scolded as she reentered the water.

"I think it's very sweet." Irina kissed him to silence any further comments. "I love you." She reiterated to ensure he remembered.

"I love you." He stole another kiss and chuckled. "I just hope they thought to buy fire extinguishers.

"Come on Action. Let's enjoy our personalized fireworks from the bedroom." Irina's hand wandered to his penis, giving it a light tug in an effort to get him to follow her.

"You have some of the most brilliant ideas Action." Jack stole the name, settling his hands on her hips as they climbed out of the pool.

"I've had a muse for the past two weeks. Let's go 'do it up' Jack." She threw a wicked grin over her shoulder as she walked into the house.

**MORNING**

Neither had slept, hoping the night would last forever and halt the coming of morning. Jack packed up the bag he arrived with, leaving the new toiletries and most of his clothing in their bathroom and dresser draws for his return.

They had made love intermittently throughout the night, content to just hold one another for the majority of it. Jack had whispered loving words in Irina's ear and to her stomach, promising them both he would return as soon as he could. Irina had been the one to leave their bed first, making a beeline for the bathroom and returning in his shirt.

"I should get showered and dressed. I need to get back to the mainland in time for my flight." His tone was sullen.

"I'm going to grab something to eat and get dressed to take you to the airstrip." Irina sat on Jack's side of the bed, closest to the window, taking his hand.

"You should get some sleep, don't worry about taking me." Her eyes closed as his fingers brushed hair from her face.

"I want to take you. I'm fine; I'll sleep when I get back."

"Promise. I need to know you'll take care of yourself."

"I promise. I'll be fine Jack." Irina bit her lip, desperate to reign in her sadness. "When do you think I'll see you again?"

"I'd be back here next week if I could but I think it would be better if I waited until the baby is due. That way I won't put either of you in danger and hopefully I'll be here for his birth."

"Three and a half months." She whispered. "Don't forget me." Her lips quirked.

"Not a chance. I've thought of you every day for the past thirty years, I've come to the conclusion that you're unforgettable Sweetheart." His lips sought hers until her smile caused them to lose coordination.

"What?" He frowned.

"What did you do on your vacation Jack?" Irina lowered her voice in an imitation of Kendall. "Called an international terrorist Sweetheart. But it's alright; I slept with her first, countless times."

"You're incorrigible." He admonished with a stunning smile. "And I'd rather my answer sounded more like…." he stroked her hair, catching pieces between his fingers every so often. "Actually Kendall, I fell in love a few hundred times. Every time my wife smiled, rolled her eyes or even just looked at me. You should really try it some time, but if you value your life I would suggest finding a different international terrorist to experience it with."

"I love you Jack." Unable to stop them, tears filled Irina's eyes.

"I love you too Irina. And before you know it, Sloane will be gone and I'll be back with you." He leaned in to kiss her eyelids.

"Give Sydney a hug and a kiss for me. And take care of our little girl." She smiled through the tears.

"You know I will, and I know you'll take care of our little boy." Nodding her head, Irina let out a breath as Jack bent over to address her stomach. "You be sure to take care of your Mother little one and remember that Daddy loves you very much."

"Three months?" Irina held him close.

"Three months." Jack confirmed softly.

**TBC**


	28. Know Me

**CIA JOINT TASK FORCE HQ- L.A.**

The looks began as his first foot landed in the door of headquarters. Most attempted to be surreptitious, failing miserably while others stared blatantly with no hint of shame. Looking in the mirror that morning, Jack had noticed the differences in his appearance for the first time since his return from Greece the night before.

The tan he sported was difficult to miss as was the fact that most of his suits were two or three sizes too big in the waist. He had smiled thinking Irina would make a very motivating personal trainer; although her methods of exercise would have to remain exclusive to him. But both those changes could be explained away as souvenirs of any vacation, it was the spark in his eyes that could not.

The perpetual haunted look that occupied his dark orbs was not as arduous to regain as he had imagined. With the CIA building looming ahead, his mind began calculating strategies for apprehending Sloane while ensuring Irina and Sydney's safety in the process. Working in a tight time constraint made for a greater challenge but that was what he lived for.

"Dad!" He heard as he entered the busy Ops Centre.

Sydney leapt from where she had been sitting, talking to Weiss and Vaughn when she saw him walk through the door. He was anxious to see his daughter, having not been separated from her for such a long period of time in more than two years.

"Sydney." His lips tested a small smile. With three long strides his daughter was in his arms, hugging him tight. His arms had felt empty for twenty-four hours, without Irina to hold but his daughter was able to ease the ache somewhat.

"Dad, why didn't you tell me you were coming home, I could have picked you up at the airport."

"It wasn't a problem Sydney; I had a car pick me up. And I don't think hugging the new boss in the middle of the office is a good idea. They may think you're getting preferential treatment." His tone was stern and impassive but the light had returned to his eyes letting Sydney know he was kidding.

Sydney pulled away. "A joke Dad? Tell me the truth; did the CIA make two weeks of sensitivity training a stipulation before giving you the new position?" Her eyes, the mirror of her mother's, contained a mirth not seen since she had been a young girl.

"Are you implying I'm in need of sensitivity training Agent Bristow?" His brow furrowed at her but the light remained.

Sydney fought the urge to smile. "No sir, Director Bristow. I would never imply such a thing." Jack nodded as Sydney leaned in further. "I would just say it." She whispered.

"Insubordination is not tolerated Agent. I would appreciate it if you remembered who the boss is." Jack had to stifle the rising chuckle his comment had elicited at a memory of Irina.

"Are you going to tell me where you went Dad?" She asked with a tilt of the head.

"Does it matter?"

"I suppose not, although if you told me, I may be able to stop the speculation around the office. I don't think there was a single person in the building who believed you would actually go on a vacation." Sydney dropped her voice as they moved toward her desk.

"If I didn't go on a vacation, where did they think I went for two weeks?" His hands were heavy at his sides.

"There were quite a few theories. Some people thought you may be going after Sloane." Jack could Sydney steel herself. "Or Derevko."

He could hear Irina's heart breaking a thousand miles away. Derevko. That certainly gave him insight into where his daughter stood on the issue of her mother.

"Sydney, I assure you I went after neither. I may be loath to admit it but I was in need of this short sabbatical. I am taking on plenty of new responsibilities in addition to many of my old ones. The main objective of this task force has been to take Sloane out of the equation and I want to see that accomplished. Two weeks away has given me time to reflect on the year and get a handle on where we should be focusing our efforts. And as it's so important to you, I went to Singapore." He gave her a quick nod of his head and turned to visit his new office.

He hadn't lied when he told her he didn't go after Arvin Sloane of Irina Derevko while he was away. She didn't ask him if he had gone after Irina Bristow though.

"Was that Jack Bristow? Like the 'kill you if you look at me the wrong way hard ass' Jack Bristow?" Weiss approached Sydney's desk with Vaughn close behind. "Did someone attack him with a tanning bed and a glue-on smile?"

"He said he went to Singapore." Sydney shrugged.

"Why would he go there?" Vaughn's forehead creased.

"I have no idea. But he looks better than when he left, which is saying a lot." Sydney glanced at Vaughn who nodded in agreement.

"I don't know Sydney. It's just a tan and a few lost pounds, I'm pretty sure he's still a moment away from chewing someone up and spitting them out. But it's obvious he missed you." Vaughn turned a half smile on Sydney.

"Who knew a vacation would have such a great affect on him. The CIA should have ordered one a long time ago." Sydney smiled at the empty hall her father had walked down.

"That's what you think." Weiss shook his head. "This happier Jack is making me more nervous than before he went away. I don't know about you two but I think the devil you know is better than the devil you don't. It's almost like he's trying to draw us into his web of ease and happiness and then when we let our guard down and do or say something stupid he's going to snap and kill us all."

"Weiss." Vaughn rolled his eyes.

"What?"

"Have you been watching Murder She Wrote again?" Vaughn contained his laughter.

"Jessica Fletcher would have been a great CIA agent." He defended. "I watch it when I visit my grandmother okay."

Sydney was smiling as she addressed both the men. "I wouldn't worry. My father doesn't just explode. He's too controlled for that and I have no doubt the novelty of being away from the office for two weeks will wear off in an hour, tops."

**JACK BRISTOW'S OFFICE – CIA HEADQUARTERS**

The CIA had furnished and decorated his office for him. The room was spacious and comfortable though it lacked windows. His safety and the security of the Agency would be at risk in an office with windows, or at least it was what the CIA believed.

The room was a green taupe with dark wood paneling on the lower half. Two pieces of art adorn the walls, prints obviously, an area with a sofa, large stuffed chairs and a heavy wooden coffee table. The desk was similar to the table; all the pieces were thick, and slightly aged to give it an antiqued look.

It was obvious someone in the CIA had been paying attention to his tastes. Most of the offices were decorated with a contemporary flare but he preferred a traditional setting. A place to work where he didn't feel as though he would break his furniture just by sitting on it, one more thing that had annoyed and frustrated him about visiting Sloane at SD-6.

Seeing Sydney had been a gift and a curse. While time with Irina was nothing short of wonderful, it did not mean he missed his daughter any less. But he hadn't anticipated the pain he experienced every time Sydney did or said something that reminded him of her mother. The mother who was alone and missing them both as much as he missed her.

The line on his phone beeped, indicating his secretary was paging him.

"Yes." He answered after pressing the line button.

"Director Bristow. Assistant Director Kendall is here to see you."

Jack groped for his new secretary's name. "Thank you Caroline. You can send him in."

"Those missions you complete before you left must have been of the utmost importance." Kendall said, looking around the room.

"The office will suffice." Jack said simply.

"Now I see what all the conversation is in the office. I'll admit I didn't believe you were actually on vacation." He took on the other side of Jack's desk, making direct eye contact. "And after that little stunt you pulled with your cell phone I thought for sure we would be on mission to rescue the CIA's newest sub-director."

"I got rid of my phone because I am aware of your tendency to run things by me and while I appreciate the implied confidence in my abilities, I did not want to be tempted to return before my two weeks were up. Being as you noticed I tossed my phone, it would seem I was right in my prediction." Jack folded his hands and leaned back in his chair.

"What can I say? You've got me there Jack." Kendall relaxed into the chair. "I've scheduled a briefing in two hours to go over the past two weeks and bring you up to speed." It was spoken more as a question, waiting for the approval of a superior.

"That will be fine." Jack answered, inclining his head to let the other man know he appreciated the grace with which he was handling the transition. "I've got a conference call to make to Langley in ten minutes; we'll be able to plot the course of the next few weeks after I'm briefed by each department."

"Then I'll leave you to it." Kendall stood and made for the door before turning to speak once more. "Wherever you went and whatever you did seemed to do you a world of good Jack." Both men had come to a mutual respect and understanding a while ago but neither meddled in the other's personal affairs. It was an acknowledgement of compliance of an employee on Kendall's part and did not go unnoticed by Jack.

"Yes it did. You should try it." Jack snickered silently as Kendall walked out his door. He would have to share the exchange with Irina next time he spoke to her.

**BRIEFING ROOM- CIA HEADQUARTERS **

Kendall, Weiss, Vaughn, Sydney, Dixon and Marshall sat around the table waiting as each one shared their portion of the brief. The latter of the group staring open mouthed at Jack. He was growing tired of the gaping looks he received, they all lived in Southern California, and a tan was not unheard of nor was a little weight loss.

"It would appear Sloane has been busy the past few days." Jack clicked a button on his computer consol bringing a picture to the screen behind him. "Two days ago he attacked a lab in Sri Lanka that had once been instrumental in The Man's organization. Not much was left of the structure." The picture showed the rubble and ruins left in Sloane's wake.

"Are we to assume Derevko was not killed in the attack on her home in Russia?" Kendall inquired. "This was an obvious act of aggression but it would serve no purpose if Derevko is already dead."

"She could be in hiding. The Man had no face for a long time; we know she is adept at keeping a low profile. Sloane could be attempting to draw her out, hoping she will retaliate." Dixon added.

"Why don't we just let them go after each other, eventually they'll destroy the other's operations." Vaughn implored with his hands out in front of him.

"And how many people would you like to see them kill before they've destroyed each other Mister Vaughn?" Jack wondered if he had overestimated Vaughn's intelligence. The younger man was appropriately shushed.

"She will retaliate soon. She won't ignore such a blatant offensive strike against her organization." Sydney had spent months analyzing her mother's actions and possible motivations, believing she now had an insight into what made her tick.

"Excuse me. Sorry um...but…um…well, when Sloane um…emptied over one hundred clips of artillery into her house she didn't do anything…this move wasn't nearly as personal…I…um…it just seemed weird to me." Marshall shrunk back in his seat.

"Marshall is correct. The personal nature of the pervious attack against her would have been more than enough to draw her out. Sloane may be testing her; seeing how far he can push without her pushing back. If she is in a position where she can't push back, Sloane has free reign and we cannot allow that." Jack looked stiff once again sitting in the chair at the head of the briefing table.

"How does Langley want us to proceed?" Dixon asked.

"They've given me carte blanch over the operation." A few eyebrows were raised. "With Sloane's penchants for killing those in his way our directive is simple. Find Sloane and kill him. His knowledge of international crime is inconsequential and Rambaldi is no longer an issue we're concerned with." Jack caught Kendall's brow furrow in frustration momentarily.

"Assuming Derevko's alive, taking Sloane out may be just what she's waiting for. We would get rid of the biggest threat to her and she could assert her power." Sydney's mouth was set, causing her lips to purse in anger.

"We'll address that when the time comes." Jack waved her off.

"But why kill Sloane? If we are able to apprehend him, he may give us a lead on Derevko." Vaughn added.

"You have your orders." Jack's tone held no more room for argument. "We need to know why Sloane chose the lab. It had to of had a significance to Irina. I want a full report in 72 hours." Jack shut off the screen to indicate the ending of the briefing.

"Sydney, a moment?" Jack called as the rest of the group filed out of the room.

"Yeah Dad?" She stepped up to him.

"Are you busy tonight?" His voice held more confidence than he felt.

"Only with my TV. Vaughn has hockey tonight." She smiled. "Why, what's up?"

"I was just wondering if you would be interested in having dinner with me." He set his shoulders, feeling them strain against the fabric of his suit. The swimming Irina had 'forced' him to take part in had broadened them further.

"I'd love to." He watched as her smile grew wider. "How about you come over to my place and we'll order in?"

Jack tried to keep the grimace off his face, remembering that she was now living with Vaughn and he would have to endure 'their' home. Not something any father wanted to thank about in relation to his little girl.

"Alright then. I'll see you about seven." Before he could halt it, a full smile lit his lips.

Sydney hesitated before walking out the door, unsure whether to break the spell between them.

"Dad, why do you call Mom Irina?" Jack looked sharply at her. "I mean everyone else calls her Derevko but not you."

Jack weighed the question carefully, trying to form an answer that would satisfy. "I've called her Irina ever since she came back. In some way I suppose I felt it took away her power. She always called me Jack, being too formal would have given her an advantage. A name holds a lot of power Sydney but we were on even ground there." A soft blink and a bow of her head was all he received in return. "Sydney?" She lifted her head to meet his eyes. "Why do you call her Mom?" His eyebrows rose letting her know the question did not warrant an answer, merely contemplation.

Jack watched her shift under his gaze, looking too much like her mother to allow for his sadness to stay at bay. He could see thoughts racing behind her brown eyes; he could not have known she worried over whether her question had caused him to rethink their dinner plans.

Finally, gathering the courage she looked at him with wide eyes, seeking assurances he wasn't sure he could give.

"Seven?"

"Seven."

_Three months?_

_Three months._

Definitely too much like her mother.

**BOGOTA, COLUMBIA**

Standing at the large windows in his personal office, Sloane looked out over the lush gardens of his property. In his right hand was an antique picture frame with a picture of Emily smiling up at him. He would have moments, sometimes in the morning when he woke alone, sometimes sitting at his desk, the location didn't seem to matter, she was never far from his mind.

She had been a casually of the poor world order. Her death had only strengthened his determination to discover all of Rambaldi's secrets and use them to make the world a better place. A place where he decided what was acceptable and not. In her name he would-

"Mr. Sloane." A hesitant knock on his door drew his attention from the window.

"Mr. Larkin. Please come in." As the man walked into the room, Sloane moved to his desk, depositing Emily's picture on the edge. "What have you found?"

"Jack Bristow returned to L.A last night and resumed working yesterday." Larkin was not innocent enough to believe Sloane was any less dangerous because he would look at a picture of his dead wife at times.

"Have you discovered his location during the two weeks yet?" Sitting back and slouching into his chair, Sloane gave the appearance of an insolent teenager.

"We have not Sir." Larkin shook his head. "No excuse, but a simple observation." He inclined his head and waited for Sloane's approval to continue. "Jack Bristow is not an easy made to survey. I feel that should he decide to, he could disappear and never been seen again."

"Quite true Mr. Larkin. But you're forgetting that Jack Bristow would never leave his daughter in such a manner." Sloane narrowed his eyes and smiled inhumanly.

"The surveillance photos we have of him lead us to believe he did travel to a vacation spot." Larkin didn't mention he speculated his wife had been his company. He had known Irina long enough to know she stopped at nothing until she got what she wanted.

Sloane glanced at the pictures with cursory interest. "I've been telling Jack he should take a vacation and relax for years now. I knew it would be beneficial. It would seem I was right." Larkin realized he was hard-pressed to find a time when Sloane believed he was wrong.

"He had dinner with Sydney Bristow yesterday evening." Larkin added as he clasped his empty hands behind his back.

Sloane only seemed to glower at that piece of information. "Keep me apprised of any further developments. And what of the lovely Irina? Has she yet immerged from the hole she has taken cover in?"

"No Sir. She has disappeared." Larkin raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, well her parenting abilities seem to drown in the water with her former identity. And yet she does seem to want to protect Sydney." Sloane contemplated the enigma that was Irina Derevko.

"Mr. Sloane?" Larkin looked behind him to find another one of Sloane's employees enter the room.

"What is it?" Larkin had gained all the trust Sloane was capable of giving, which didn't mean much. However, he was not likely to be dismissed for the conversation with the different operative.

"Sir, I have run the analysis on the manuscripts and artifacts we were left with after Derevko's departure and Sir, they're all fakes." The man looked nervous and had probably lost a bet to be the barer of the news.

"You're obviously mistaken." Sloane smiled to cover his grimace.

"No Sir. We have checked and rechecked the results."

"It would appear Irina was a busy woman while working with me." His tone betrayed nothing but his hands were clenched into tight fists, fast turning white. "I want you to step up the destruction of her holdings Mr. Larkin, she can't ignore them much longer and I want her found. I want her brought to me when she's found; no torture will ever be as sweet."

He dismissed both men and sat unmoving in his chair. Irina thought she was going to reap the rewards of Rambaldi's works, she was quite mistaken. He closed his eyes against the lost of control that was fast approaching his consciousness. He could not afford to appear unhinged or defeated nor would he give Irina the satisfaction of rendering him as such. She would pay.

**TBC**


	29. Stun Me

**CIA JOINT TASK FORCE – L.A.**

The team had been assembled in the briefing room to go over the information they had gathered on Sloane's movements in the month since Jack had returned. Sloane was throwing everything he had at Irina's organization and had been for almost the entire month.

"Two days ago a blast destroyed one of the largest ports in Russia, belonging to Derevko." Jack had mulled over Sydney's questions about how he addressed Irina and decided it would be less suspicious if he referred to her as Derevko in most instances. Although every once in a while he felt a need to utter her name, reassuring himself that the two weeks they spent together were not a dream.

"I think we have to face the reality that Irina Derevko is no longer alive." Dixon spoke carefully, knowing the woman was a sensitive subject for almost everyone in the room. When no one responded to his comment he continued. "Derevko is not known to sit ideally by while someone blasts holes in her operation."

"But if Sloane was successful in killing her, wouldn't it make more sense to seize her assets rather than destroy them; they would only strengthen his own network."

"Agent Weiss is correct." Jack nodded at the younger man. "Sloane is primarily motivated by greed; he doesn't believe Irina is dead and he is attempting to draw her out." His tan had faded over the month he had been back in L.A.; however, his body had become even more powerful. Running and lifting weights quickly becoming a preferred refuge from his worry and need of Irina. He had even taken to sparring with Dixon on occasion after work, thankful the other man asked few questions and was nothing if not discreet.

"What is she waiting for then?" Vaughn vocalized everyone's frustrations.

"No one has seen her for over four months. Not even operatives within her organization have heard from her." Kendall supplied.

"With Sloane out for blood and not discriminating against the source, we must anticipate his next move. The lost of lives at Arvin Sloane's hand is at a premium; we cannot allow for his actions to go unchecked." Jack spoke sternly.

"How do we know what he'll go after next?" Sydney asked.

"After the ports in Russia, one of the largest assets Irina maintains is a research facility in Tbilisi, Georgia.

"What is the facility researching?" Weiss was intrigued.

"A multitude of things and a possible Rambaldi artifact." Jack stated simply. "The facility is part of the Academy of Science Building at the Tbilisi State University. Irina is merely a large contributor to the program and in return they work on what ever project she wishes." Folding his hands, Jack continued.

"If Sloane follows his pattern of late, he is likely to raise the entire University." Passing folders to everyone around the large square table Jack gave them their orders. "Sydney, Dixon and Vaughn you'll infiltrate and locate the artifact if it is there. Sloane is apparently looking for a crown. Within the crown are crystals that are an energy source of some kind. Dixon, it is possible Sloane will already have rigged the building to explode; we need your expertise with the explosives. We can't have a repeat of the Russian docks or the Japanese bank, if there are explosives they need to be neutralized."

If Irina had been telling him the truth about the Rambaldi pieces, which he hoped she was, they wouldn't find anything in the facility. However, when the information was brought to the CIA's attention he was unable to find a plausible explanation for discounting its validity. Instead he was forced to send them on a goose chase that was far from safe.

"You leave tonight." Jack's words effectively ended the briefing.

**CIA PLANE EN ROUTE - STOP OVER ATHENS**

"You and your Dad have been spending a lot of time together recently." Dixon sat down beside Sydney on the plane while Vaughn was in the cockpit with the pilots.

"We've had dinner once or twice a week ever since he got home." She smiled at the thought.

"That's good." He nodded his head.

"Yeah. It's not just that we've been spending more time together but that it's quality time. I mean we even talked about my teenage years when I would sneak out of the house." She raised her eyebrows and blushed a little in embarrassment at her brash behavior.

"And how did Jack fair when you told him you were taking off all those years ago?" Dixon smiled indulgently.

"He was the one who brought it up. He knew all along that I was sneaking out but he let me go. He said he knew I was smart enough to take care of myself and he didn't want me to think he was trying to ruin my life any more than he already had." Her smile turned to a frown then back again. "But he said he waited up every night until he was sure I was safe, back in my bed and asleep."

"Through everything Sydney, SD-6 the CIA the ordeal with your mother." Dixon spoke slowly, weary of the landmine he was stepping into. "I have never doubted how much your father loves you. He may be one of the greatest agents I've ever had the pleasure to work with, aside from you of course." He gave her a little smirk. "But the respect I have for your father is steeped in his devotion to you. He may not be a perfect father but in many ways I've hoped to emulate him with my own children." He paused. "And learn from his mistakes."

"I think my mother leaving was the best thing for my father. Whether she knew it or not, I think she gave him some sense of closure. To be able to see her again and know she was exactly the woman he believed her to be for twenty years. She made me appreciate my father so much more." Sydney shrugged.

"But you still miss her sometimes." Dixon probed.

"I miss the illusion that was Laura Bristow." She answered too quickly. "Sometimes though," She hesitated. "sometimes I miss Irina. Laura could never have been able to understand the life I lead. The lying and the death that surrounds me. But Irina could." Her voice grew softer.

"Hey, we're just about to descent into Athens." Vaughn walked back into the cabin. "We've got ten hours before our commercial flight is leaving. We can go into the city and grab something to eat. Maybe do some shopping." He looked at Sydney.

"Sounds great. Dixon?" She turned to her partner.

"I'm up for dinner but I'll pass on the shopping." His smile reassured her.

"Why doesn't Vaughn keep you company while I shop then?" She glanced between the two men. Relief washed into Vaughn's eyes, having an out of shopping. "You can thank me later that I'm not making you come with me." She smiled at him.

Dixon looked at his watch and calculated all the time differences. "It will be ten by the time we land and past eleven by the time we're in city. We can do lunch when we get there and meet back up at about six to get back to the airport in time to make our eight o'clock flight."

"I see you've got operational control." Sydney teased.

"He does have seniority Syd." Vaughn nudged her shoulder.

"Seniority is just a polite way of saying I'm old." He grumbled.

"Vaughn's very polite." Sydney smiled at Dixon and got a mock glare in return.

**ATHENS – Grand Bertane **

Irina walked through the ornate hotel lobby with light skirt, tank-top, sunglasses and purse. She looked every bit the part of rich traveler on her way out for a day of shopping. Shopping was actually her reason for making the trip to the mainland, although more out of necessity than anything else.

Getting closer to her seventh month every day, her stomach seemed to get larger each morning. She was fast running out of cloths to wear as even her wardrobe of draw-sting articles were being stretched to their limits. She was only going to be staying on the mainland for forty-eight hours and deduced the risk was minimal as Sloane seemed preoccupied with dismantling her organization.

Walking through the revolving doors, she was assaulted with the late afternoon, August heat. The door man to her right stood under the overhang in a full bellman's outfit, likely sweating in sheets. Her car was waiting for her as she stepped out of the hotel and the bellman rushed to open the door for her. The driver was given directions to take her to the shopping district about ten minutes from the downtown area as she sat back and enjoyed the air conditioned ride.

She had always been fond of the heat after spending her early life living through the harsh Russian winters. But as she grew in size her tolerance for the sticky weather grew thin. The last time she had been so pregnant was in the winter time when she could cuddle up on the couch with a blanket and Jack and nap part of the day away. This time there were no blankets and certainly no Jack.

**ATHENS – SHOPPING DISTRICT**

Sydney glanced at her watch after three hours of shopping. She had picked up some things for herself, Vaughn, Will and her father. At dinner on his first day back the latter of the men had presented her with a gift from his own trip. A leather bound book for her collection. She had been pleased that he had thought of her while he was away and even bought her something. In a matter of moments her father had taken her back twenty years when she would anticipate a new trinket or toy from somewhere around the world.

It was already five and she was fifteen minutes from their meeting spot. Deciding she had time to enter one more store, she began searching for a name she wanted to peruse. Her gaze flitted over the store names passing almost every designer label and a few specialty shops carrying children and maternity clothing.

The back of the woman walking into one of the designer stores caught Sydney's eye. The gait was familiar and the back was one she had stared at for long hours through glass or television screen. Keeping a safe distance, she followed her to the store but stayed outside.

Watching through the store window she saw the woman she was sure was her mother, greeted by one of the sales girls, the two speaking. Reaching into her pocket, Sydney contemplated calling Vaughn and Dixon but something compelled her not to. There was still a part of her that wanted to believe her mother was not completely evil and had only made bad choices.

In a split second that illusion was shattered. The saleswoman pointed to something on the racks to her mothers left and she turned sideways to look at it. Her profile confirmed her identify as well as robbing Sydney of her breath.

"Oh God." Sydney whispered in utter disbelief. Suddenly she realized how exposed she was looking through the glass and urged her heavy limbs to move away.

Inside the store Irina felt eyes on her as only trained paranoia could sense. When she turned to the window she saw nothing, just the passers by that were moving to and from work or stores. Believing her pregnancy had once again increased her paranoia she turned back to the sales clerk to finish her shopping.

Down the street, leaning against a lamp post, Sydney closed her eyes against the image of her mother's pregnant form in the store window. Every attempt at telling herself she was mistaken was met with the same bitter laugh of her own warring thoughts. Without thinking she got in a cab and headed to the meeting spot she, Dixon and Vaughn had agreed on. She had no clue what she was going to tell them and worse yet she was at a lost of how to tell her father.

Cutting through all of her bewilderment and confusion, one thought was abundantly clear….her mother was a manipulative, whoring bitch…..

**CIA JOINT TASK FORCE – L.A.**

Sydney feigned sleep on the plane back to L.A. and avoided conversation during their brief layover in New York by immersing herself in a book. Dixon didn't attempt conversation, choosing to catch up on sleep and call his kids, while Vaughn pondered over what had caused Sydney to withdraw.

"Syd?" Vaughn followed her out of the briefing room after the quick meeting. Jack had been surprisingly forgiving after they came up short on the Rambaldi artifact. He had commended them on a job well done and reiterated the number of lives they saved by locating the charges Sloane had set and disabled them. But Sydney was not satisfied; failure was not an option she cared to consider.

"Hmm." She glanced up at him as they walked briskly to her desk in the middle of the ops center.

"What's up?" She looked up in time to catch his brow furrow.

"What do you mean?" Her mouth set and frown lines appeared between her eyes.

"You've been miles away since we got on the plane in Greece. Did something happen?" She continued to stare at him, wondering how much to tell him, she made a split second decision, sighing.

"Nothing happened Vaughn. I spend so much time compartmentalizes my emotions and events that sometimes I just need a little while to reflect. You know, to go over everything that's occurred and filter some of it out so it doesn't implode on me. I'm just having a few of those days." Her shrug was not completely reassuring to him but he let it go knowing she would come to him if it got to be too much.

"K, but remember that just because I'm no longer your handler doesn't mean you can't talk to me about whatever's bothering you." He gave her a crooked grin and planted a quick kiss on her cheek after surveying their surroundings to check for Jack or any other interested eyes.

"I know and thank you." She smiled back, hoping it didn't look like a grimace. "I just have to grab something from my desk then we can go home." Her voice was weary from what he assumed was the trip.

"I'll meet you in the parking garage." He squeezed one of her hands reassuringly and headed for the exit.

Sydney sank into her desk chair with barely contained shudders. She could not banish the image of her mother, pregnant and oblivious to her presence, from her villainous mind.

It appeared that Irina Derevko was doing what she did best; find some loving, trusting man and screwing him over until there was nothing left of him. The fact that she was once again bringing a new life into her torrent of lies caused her stomach to revolt in an angry stampede of bile and airplane nuts.

"Sydney?" Her head snapped up at her father's booming voice.

"What is it Dad?" Her heart broke as she looked at the man before her. He had changed so much from their last encounter with her mother; he was spending more time trying to be a father to her. And as selfish as it sounded she was terrified that her mother was orchestrating something to sabotage that relationship one more time.

"I know tomorrow is one of Vaughn's hockey nights and was interested to know if you'd like to have dinner together." Her father's halted words and tense shoulders made her smile. After a month of such dinners she still felt he was anxious every time he confirmed their plans.

"That's sounds good Dad. Do you want to go out or stay in?" With half a mind on the conversation she picked up the things she needed from her desk and stuffed them into the file she was taking home.

"Why don't I come over with some take out after work?" He paused as Sydney straightened. "Don't worry about canceling if you'd rather spend some time alone but having the time to talk just the two of us is always nice."

Sydney smiled gratefully at her father. Bless him for knowing exactly what she needed. He wasn't going to push her to tell him what was wrong, he wasn't even going to ask and put her on the spot. He was asking his daughter to dinner, where they could talk in private or merely sit and watch each other think. She didn't even want to imagine what his reaction to her news would be.

"I'll see you tomorrow Dad. And I'll be home by six-thirty so dinner better not take much longer to arrive or I'll be forced to take drastic measures." His smiles, although small did not look as painful as they did before his trip.

"I'll ensure I'm prompt then." One of his eyebrows rose before he nodded his head briskly and began walking away.

"I'll just call Caroline and tell her to beep you when you should be leaving." Jack appeared playfully annoyed at her tactics.

"I knew I was in danger the moment I introduced you two. She's my secretary Sydney; you have Vaughn to do your bidding." Smirking at his wide-eyed daughter, Jack left the inner room.

**BOGOTA, COLUMBIA**

Darius Larkin had time to try the number once more before he risked being discovered. He knew not to worry too much over Irina's lack of response but it didn't eliminate such a reaction completely. He needed to warn her about what was about to happen, about what Sloane was planning next.

With a huff of frustration he gave up trying to reach her and returned to his pseudo employer. Sloane's ire had risen to insurmountable heights since he found that Irina had replaced his Rambaldi pieces with fakes and taken the authentic ones. Larkin had gotten a kick out of the information until he realized the full extend Sloane was willing to go to exact his revenge.

**SLOANE'S OFFICE**

"That woman is a menace. I've ever nearly destroyed everything she has spent twenty years building and she does nothing. She has all of the Rambaldi pieces I acquired and I'm assuming the other's she scavenged on her own." The words formed a snarl and altered his face to that of a man possessed.

"She won't be able to ignore the attacks if we continue them." Larkin watched the thoughts swirl behind Sloane's eyes.

"I'm tired of this game. I want you to move onto the next phase of our operation." Finally the jumpy man sat behind his desk.

"Do you believe the result will be any different with this method of attack on Ms. Derevko?" Larkin sounded skeptical.

"I feel quite confident of the outcome of this operation. As despicable as she is, she prides herself on acting and reacting in protection of her daughter. She's deluded herself and anyone who will listen into believing she cares for her child, surely she'll come to Sydney's rescue, if only to maintain the illusion she continues to fall victim to." The maniacal gleam in Sloane's black eyes was enough to straighten Larkin's spine, seeing for the first time what the man was capable of when provoked.

**VAUGHN & SYDNEY'S RESIDENCE**

The doorbell rang at precisely ten to seven and Sydney rushed from the bedroom to answer it. The day at the office had been long after the sleepless night she had endure, agonizing over the conversation she would have with her father at dinner. She had changed into a pair of yoga pants and fitted t-shirt and hooded sweatshirt, in hopes of deceiving herself into believing dinner would be no big affair.

"Hi Dad." She didn't have to force a smile when she saw her father. He had removed his jacket and tie, no doubt feeling the heat of the Los Angeles summer, and carried take out containers from an Italian restaurant they both frequented together and separately.

"Hi Sweetheart." He entered the air-conditioned apartment in relief. The smog of L.A. made for horrendous humidity that tightened around your lungs with a ceaseless strength. "I'd say we should eat this before it gets cold but I' say there's little chance of that happening." His stance and ever broadening shoulders relaxed as soon as he left the CIA building. Ever since his return a month before he had been comfortable and almost jovial with her when they were out of the office but retained his mask of indifference around the others at the Agency.

"We can eat anyway. I'm starving." She took the packages from him and walked into the kitchen, placing them on the small kitchen table.

"What was that? Oh, nice to see you too Sydney. Oh, well you're welcome for picking up the food it wasn't a problem." Jack called after her.

Sydney smiled to herself, getting used to this new side to her father. "Well if it was no problem then why are you getting snippy?" She placed the food on the two plates, looking up at him with amusement. "And I saw you at the office today, so stop acting like it's been a month."

Jack faltered at that, thinking of who he hadn't seen in a month. "I passed you in the ops center this morning and received a quick hello." He continued to tease her, enjoying her likeness to Irina as she countered his barbs.

"I'm sorry about this morning. I have this very demanding boss and he works me to the bone. He's such a taskmaster that he would likely write me up for talking to my father on the job." The mirth remained as they both sat down to their meal.

"Really. Maybe I should have a talk with this boss of yours." He leaned forward and raised both his eyebrows at his daughter.

"Okay, thank you for getting dinner. Now can we please eat?" She ignored any retort, focusing on her food instead.

Sydney glanced at her father through her lower lashes every so often until she couldn't stand to be silent any longer.

"What happen on your vacation Dad?" Her dark eyes scrutinized him.

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean." A forkful of food stopped halfway to his mouth.

"Marshall thinks a computer chip was inserted into your brain to alter your personality, Weiss thinks you're a pod person, Vaughn wavers between the two some days and none of them have even seen you with me which is beyond different and Dixon," She paused, shaking her head. "Dixon thinks you…" Her head rose and tilted to the side, imitating her mother perfectly. "Did you meet someone new?" Her voice dropped to whisper as though someone else may hear them.

Trying to subdue the laughter that bubbled up inside him, Jack took a deep breath around his grin. "You can tell Weiss, Marshall and Vaughn not to worry and I assure you, I didn't meet anyone new." Not technically a lie. "It has been longer than it should have since I went on a vacation. I needed the time to think and organize recent events."

Sydney nodded along with his words, having told Vaughn the same thing the day before. She supposed most people in their business needed the time to reflect every so often and for her father it had been too long since he had taken that time.

"I did a lot of thinking about my position in the CIA, old and new. You and everything you've been through as well as your mother." Her eyes sharpened at the word 'mother' and her lips pursed. "I came to a few realizations and understandings that have made my life the tiniest bit easier to live." He wouldn't mention all the things he had learned that had added worry and stress to his days and nights as they were both in anticipation of positive additions.

Watching her father at ease with her and listening to him talk about resolution with his memories urged Sydney to make a decision both altruistic and selfish. She would not tell her father about what she had seen in Greece. She would not break his spirit once again. She would not give him a reason to close himself off. She would not lose the father she was just getting to acquaint herself with. He didn't have to know and as long as he didn't it couldn't hurt him. She, her mother, couldn't hurt him.

Jack saw the play of emotions pass over his daughter's face and wondered at her thoughts. He decided to broach the subject of her mother in hopes of planting a seed of renewed belief in her mind.

"Sydney, about your mother…." His breath gave her the opportunity to jump in.

"She is a lying bitch. She spends her life manipulating people and devours them whole in the process. All she has ever been is a glorified whore, willing to do anything to get ahead. I was stupid to ever think I could trust her." Jack stilled; his brain trying to move beyond its sudden shock. "That woman is not my mother; that thing isn't even human."

He was flabbergasted at her vehemence. "I no longer want to think of her outside the realm of bringing her into custody and issuing the death penalty." She concluded.

Jack groped for something to say, some way to calm the waters somewhat. "No matter what the past has dictated, Irina is still your mother and she does love. Of that even I can't deny."

Sydney eyed him sympathetically, believing he was being diplomatic for her sake. "You shouldn't have to defend her, nor do I want you to. Don't worry Dad; I'm through hoping for her love. I'm not naive to her methods any longer."

Not sure what else to say to quell the anger he found in Sydney's eyes, he left the topic alone. The resolution she spoke with made him ache for his family. If he spent too much time trying to change her opinion, Sydney would become suspicious and Irina needed that less than she needed a love filled Sydney leading Sloane to her.

After leaving the apartment Jack drove around for a while, not wanting to be confronted with an empty house. The truth about Irina had been on the tip of his tongue the entire night and he cursed his better judgment for holding it in. No daughter should think of her mother the way Sydney did, especially when it wasn't warranted. His vow to capture Sloane and sort his family out was solidified once more as the sky darkened and the L.A. streets brightened.

Vaughn had called Sydney to let her know he was going out for a beer with his hockey guys and would be home before ten. In the background she could hear the ribbing he was receiving for making the call. She told him it was fine and that she was going to run out the store and get some milk and eggs for breakfast in the morning.

With the store just down the street she decided to forego the car and make the quick jaunt on foot. Half a block from the apartment she felt as though she was being watched. A few more steps and she could feel someone closing in on her. A moment later her leg shot out, catching her assailant off guard.

"Bad move Buddy, you pick the wrong-" her words were cut off as the sound of a tranquilizer dart caught her ear. The shot pierced her back and sent her hurling to the ground. Three men descended on her as the one got up off the ground and tossed her into the back of a van before speeding off.

**TBC**


	30. Disgust Me

**JACK BRISTOW'S HOME – L.A.**

Jack was sitting with his attention turned to his computer when the phone on his desk rang. Kneading his closed eyes he glanced at the time in the corner of his computer screen before reaching for the phone. For someone to call him at one in the morning it would have to be important.

"Jack Bristow." His gruff voice answered.

"Jack, it's Vaughn. Is Sydney there with you?" He could hear the stilted panic in the younger man's tone.

"No. I haven't seen or spoken to her since I left the apartment just after nine." His grip on the phone tightened. "Why. What happened?"

"I don't really know. I called to let her know I'd be home at ten and she said she was going to run out to the store and grab some things for the morning. She wasn't back when I got in, she didn't take her car and she's not answering her cell phone. No one at the office has seen her come in, Will's not home and the guy running the store down the street says she never came in." Vaughn massaged his forehead.

"Have you canvassed the area yet? Asked if anyone saw her?" Jack focused on the picture of Sydney resting on his desk.

"No. I thought I should call you first before I blew this out of proportion." Although he would never admit it, he was impressed with the information Vaughn had been able to glean in the time he likely began to get worried.

"Sydney doesn't just disappear without telling anyone. She would have left an indicator that she was fine if she has disappeared of her own will. Start asking questions with your neighbors, I'll search her computer at the office and meet you there no later than two hours. Call my cell if you hear from her." Jack hung up before Vaughn was able to respond.

Something told him Sydney had not left of her volition, whether it was years of experience or fatherly intuition he wasn't sure but his baby girl was in trouble and needed his help. He felt the urge to call Irina but the contact number he had was for emergency purposes only. She had called him twice since he had been back in L.A., while neither conversation lasted more than five minutes; they were enough to keep him going when the loneliness seemed ready to overpower him. He was holding out calling for another reason; he wasn't sure he could tell her he had lost their daughter. Jack had a difficult time forgetting a similar situation almost twenty five years before.

_FLASHBACK_

_Christmas shopping a few days before the actual day was horrific enough but doing so with a three year old was stupidity at its worst. The only thing Jack had to be thankful for was the lack of snow apparel Sydney needed ever since their move to California. _

"_Daddy, I'm hungry." His little girl dragged her feet and exaggerated the swinging of her arms as they walked. _

"_I know you are Sweetie. I just need to pick up Mommy's last gift before we go." Jack glanced to his left where she stood._

"_Do we have too?" Her head fell back at what looked to be an uncomfortable angle as she looked at him. _

"_You want Mommy to have a special Christmas like you right?" Jack said gently, knowing his daughter hated to think her mother was upset or sad. She was her mother's ultimate protector._

"_Of course Daddy." She rolled her eyes. "But I don't want to walk anymore." She whined._

"_Sydney, you didn't want to sit in a stroller and I have my hands full with packages for Mommy. I can't carry you. I'm sorry Sweetie." Jack gave her an apologetic face before turning his attention back to the store's jewelry counter he was at._

_Noticing his focus was no longer on her, Sydney wandered toward the escalator. She had gone up and down it a few times with her Mom and today with her Dad. It was fun and she wanted to go again. She didn't have to walk when she was on it, the steps moved for her._

_When Jack looked down to tell Sydney it was time to go home, he found her missing from his side. Raising his eyes to sweep his surroundings he still wasn't able to locate her. _

"_Did you see where my daughter went?" He tried to keep his voice even and calm while inside he felt as though he was being burned alive._

"_No Sir. I didn't even notice you had a daughter." The clerk told him with a flirtatious smile. Jack pictured himself strangling the woman at brushing aside his concern in favour of her own romantic delusions._

"_Sydney?" He called as he spun away from the counter._

"_I'm sure she'll come back, she probably wanted to look at something." The woman attempted to reassure him._

"_She's only three." That earned him a startled look._

"_I'll call security." She began picking up the phone._

"_Don't bother. I'll find her." His irritation had risen exponentially as he began combing the store. How a trained CIA agent had not noticed a three year old slip away was only adding to his guilt. _

_Five of the longest minutes he had ever lived and a near panic attack later he caught sight of his daughter riding the escalator up and down. It seemed she only stepped off long enough to hop on the machine on the other side and take the trek down._

"_Sydney." Jack sighed loudly in relief as she jumped over the intimidating line where the stairs disappeared._

"_Can we go home now Daddy?" She asked with a renewed energy._

"_Sydney, come here." He ordered gently. Not caring about his packages, he lifted her into his arms and held her close. "Why did you leave without telling Daddy where you were going?" He pulled her away from him enough so they could look at each other._

"_I wasn't going till I saw the s'later." She shrugged. "Daddy, your heart is beating so fast, like mine when I'm playing." Her brow drew together. "Were you playing without me Daddy?" _

"_Sydney, I was so worried when I didn't know where you were. You can't run off without telling Mommy or Daddy. Something could happen; you could get hurt or taken from us and then we would be so sad. Don't ever run off again Sweetie." His stern words were tempered somewhat with the endearment._

"_I'm sorry I made you worry Daddy. I just wanted a ride. I don't want you and Mommy to be sad." Her eyes filled with tears and her little breath came out in short bursts, preparing for the full onslaught of a sob._

"_Don't cry Sweetie. You're okay so I'm not sad and neither is Mommy." Jack held her closer and walked them out of the mall to the car. "It's my job to protect you Princess, that's what Daddy's do. But when I lose you, I can't protect you." He placed her on the ground long enough to open the car doors and stuff the packages inside before buckling her into her toddler sized car seat._

"_I'll tell Mommy so she doesn't ever get sad again." She solemnly told her father. _

_Jack grimaced at the thought of her telling Laura what had happened at the mall. "Why don't we just make this our secret Princess. That way Mommy won't have to worry." Jack hoped Sydney had developed a better censor in recent months._

"_Okay Daddy." _

_Her silence about the side trip she took at the mall was maintained until dinner when Laura mentioned the stairs in the house, prompting Sydney to tell her all about the moving stairs she rode and how Daddy was so upset and sad when he came to get her._

_Jack watched Laura's reaction go from intrigued to pale to irritated. He was tempted to cover his face with his hands to avoid the glare she was sending his way. Once dinner was over and Sydney had retreated to her room to play, he was caught in the kitchen with his angry wife._

"_I'm sorry Laura I-"_

"_You lost her." She began removing items from the table. "You lost our daughter at the mall. Do you know what could have happened to her?" Irina ground out evenly. She was not going to raise her voice and alert their daughter._

"_Every possible scenario entered my mind in the minutes I didn't know where she was." He confirmed, feeling horrible at his ineptitude. "I don't know what to say. I can't begin to-"_

"_When were you going to tell me Jack? Or were you? What if you hadn't found her so quickly, would you have called me? Or waited until you got home and I noticed you were without our daughter?" Her hands squeezed the bowl she was holding, taunting the muscles underneath with a deep ache._

"_I told you I'm sorry Laura. I don't know what happened, one second she was right beside me and the next she wasn't. I feel horrible right now; I don't deserve to be a father." He shook his head and dropped his gaze to the floor._

_Her glare softened as she moved toward him. "That's not true Jack. You're a wonderful father. Children Sydney's age can get away from you in a second; even the best parents can have their kids wander off."_

"_Have you ever lost her?" Jack returned his eyes to hers._

"_No." Laura smiled indulgently. "But I keep a bag of cheerios with me at all times in case she gets hungry or bored to keep her from going in search of something more interesting." They regarded each other in silence. "I'm not angry because she walked off and you didn't know where she was, I'm angry because you didn't tell me when you got home. We're parents together Jack, we have to tell one another everything, especially about Sydney. You won't go on a mission with only half the information nor can I parent Sydney with such."_

"_I'm sorry. From now on everything that happens to Sydney, good or bad will be reported directly from me to you." The breath Jack exhaled deflated his tense shoulders._

"_Good. Now finish tidying the kitchen while I go give our adventurer her bath." He received a languid kiss before his wife sauntered out of the kitchen calling their daughter's name._

_END FLASHBACK_

"Sorry Irina, but it won't do you any good to know about this." He spoke to the phone still in its cradle.

**CIA JOINT TASK FORCE – L.A.**

Weiss approached him as soon as he stepped foot in the building. He thrust a piece of paper in his hand, matching him stride for stride as they moved into the main ops center.

"Vaughn is on his way in." He paused for a breath. "We picked this up on Echelon twenty minutes ago. We just finished decoding it; Sloane has her." Weiss said simply, keeping his decorum.

"We've verified this?" Jack looked at the younger agent.

Nodding his head Weiss frowned. "But it's not aimed at the CIA. He's trying to lure Derevko out of hiding and he's dangling Sydney like bate to do it." Following Jack toward his office, he continued. "It hasn't even been four hours since he took her and already he's making the announcement. It didn't allow him much time to get away; he may not be far."

"With anyone else I would agree with you Agent Weiss; however, just knowing that it is Arvin Sloane we're dealing with changes the rules of the game." They stopped at his door, Weiss not having an invitation to enter.

"Sloane won't hurt her though right. He doesn't seem to want to kill her." The competent agent suddenly wanted some reassurance of his own.

"It seems that way." Jack gave a quick nod. "But things are often not what they seem. Sloane is a loose canon; Sydney must be found as soon as possible. I'll schedule a briefing in a few hours; and please Mr. Weiss, keep Vaughn busy and away from me."

**UNKNOWN LOCATION**

Awakening to the feel of being chained to the floor and wall by her feet and hands was not her preferred method of returning to consciousness but she was aware of how much it worse it could get. Sydney kept her eyes closed for a while, hoping to heighten her other senses to everything around her.

There was a slight putrid smell to the dark room and a feeling of dampness, slightly salty. Drowning out the sound of her breathing she could faintly hear the water coming from all sides. A boat, maybe a yacht as the sound of the water was muted by a larger vehicle. The door to the room opened with a rusty squeal and an overhead light came on.

"You." She bit out as her lips puckered.

"I must admit I was expecting a slightly warmer welcome from you. After all we were close at one time." Sloane closed the door behind him, leaving plenty of room between himself and his prisoner.

"What ever information you think you'll get from me you're dreaming. I'd rather starve to death than help you." Her eyes narrowed in defiance.

"Well that can be arranged but really Sydney, you do have a tendency to jump to conclusions. I haven't brought you here for information and you're already helping me." His easy smile sent a quiet shiver down her spine.

"This has something to do with Rambaldi." She surmised.

"To some extent yes, but really Sydney your part in this is very minimal. I don't want to have to hurt you and if your mother does what I predict she will, you'll be out of here before you know it." He presented it to her as though he were telling her they didn't have any more chocolate donuts but the plain ones were good too.

"My mother?" She breathed in confusion.

"She has been overly stubborn lately. She refused to reveal herself after all my efforts but surely she'll emerge from whatever lovely niche she has carved for herself and save her only daughter. After all, a mother's love defies logic does it not."

"You've made one error; Irina Derevko doesn't love anyone or anything and surely not me." She made an unconscious move straining against her bonds, lighting a smile on Sloane's face.

"I think you'd be surprised."

"No, I think you would." Sydney utter under her breath, rolling her eyes.

"I didn't quite hear that." He prompted.

"And what if she doesn't come?" She spoke louder.

Sloane's eyes darkened. "I suggest you pray she does." He said nothing more before turning and exiting the room, bolting the door behind him.

**CIA BUILDING – L.A. (JACK BRISTOW'S OFFICE)**

Three hours had passed since learning that Sydney had been taken by Sloane; however very little information had been gathered in that time that would help them locate her. Jack had sequestered himself in his office, setting up meetings with contacts well into the early hours of the morning.

His phone line beeped from his secretary's desk just outside his closed door. She had returned to the office once word had reached her that Sydney had been taken. She got along well with Jack despite others believing him to be a bear of an agent and felt a motherly connection to Sydney.

"Yes Caroline." Jack pressed on the intercom.

"There is a phone call for you on line three." She told him in a smooth voice.

"Thank you. Put them through please." Jack picked up the phone and waited for the call to be transferred.

"Jack Bristow." He answered sharply.

"How long have you known?" He heard in his ear.

"I'm at my office; you shouldn't be calling me here." The pulse at his temple began to throb.

"How long have you known?" The even tone didn't hide the bubbling anger.

"A few hours."

"You should have called me right away."

"Irina-"

"Don't." She cut him off. "I don't want to hear it. We'll discuss you're failure to inform me later, right now we need to help Sydney."

"How did you find out?" Jack leaned forward on his desk.

"I have contacts that keep me informed through certain channels and I have access to Echelon." She would normally garner some degree of pleasure, telling him the CIA weren't the only ones with access to the network but at that moment teasing and tormenting were the furthest things from her mind.

"I really shouldn't be surprised." He kept watching his computer, waiting for one of his contacts to respond.

"He wants me Jack." She softened.

"Well that isn't going to happen so we'll have to find another way to get Sydney back." Jack stated firmly.

"I can contact Sloane, set up a meet." She began thinking out loud

"Absolutely not. Under no circumstances are you going to meet with-"

"I can give you the location and the CIA can ambush him. He won't be expecting you as I have no affiliation with the CIA and you'll be able to get Sydney out." She overrode his protests.

"He's going to be prepared for an ambush of some kind Irina." The stillness of the line cackled.

"It's the best I can come up with. I'll have to work." She sighed. "Use the emergency line to call me in four days; I'll have the meet set up by then."

"Okay. How are you doing?" He asked as an afterthought, knowing he wouldn't get a chance to ask when they spoke in four days.

"Good. Helen and I have tea a few times a week but they left for New York last week. The baby is growing and using my bladder as a trampoline."

Jack smiled a sad smile. "When will Helen and Peter be back?" He didn't like Irina not having someone close by to go to for help.

"Soon, a week and a half." Shifting gears suddenly, her next comment threw him off guard. "You've got a new secretary with your position."

"Yes." Jack affirmed her observation.

"You didn't mention her before." Irina paused. "She sounds….young."

"Not worth mentioning I suppose and she is younger than me but in her forties." Jack began to understand where the conversation was going and shook his head. "Why?"

"I'm just trying to picture her." Irina paused. "What does she look like?"

"I don't know; I haven't really looked at her. She's shorter than me and had blonde hair. That's about all I can remember." She grinned on her end, knowing in their profession it was necessary to take into account details. He would have been able to tell her whether her eyelashes were full or thinning but she appreciated the gesture.

"Four days." She reminded him. "The line becomes dead after the one use so we'll have no emergency contact, but I'll get in touch with you when it's safe."

"We'll find her Irina." Jack stated resolutely.

"Of course we will; of that I have no doubt." She returned with equal authority. "I love you."

"I love you too." They both hung up without saying goodbye, not caring for all that it implied.

**FOUR DAYS LATER SYDNEY'S CAPTURE – LOCATION UNKNOWN**

She heard the clanking of the metal door in enough time to prepare herself for the blinding light of the hallway. Her eyes squeezed shut in an attempt to block out the harsh stimulant while her other senses doubled their efforts to compensate.

"They tell me you're not eating Sydney. Really, this show of defiance, while noble, is not constructive." Sloane clicked on a small light in the corner of the room in order to see his prisoner.

"Well maybe if you unchained me, I'd regain my appetite." Her snide comment was wrapped hauntingly in her glare.

"I would not want for your mother to think that I'd mistreated you during your stay. I have taken wonderful care of you, wouldn't you say Sydney."

"Yes, the accommodations have been lavish." Had she not been tied to the wall and draped in chains he may have been inclined to believe her.

"I hope you know that I would never do anything to hurt you if I could help it Sydney. I think of you as my own daughter." She watched as he made himself comfortable on a turned crate near the door. "I often wonder when your eyes darken and narrow or when your lips curl a certain way if those aren't traits you inherited from me."

Sydney's brow furrowed in confusion, floundering for vestige of understanding. She assumed she must be reading too much into his words

"I was never sure but almost nine months before you were born, Irina and I, well, things got out of hand one night." She felt the bile rising in her throat as Sloane's smile grew wider. "We had too much to drink and missed our spouses. I don't remember much of the evening and am thankful for that, except where you're concern. You may be the only good thing that came from my moment of weakness."

Flashes of Sloane and her mother assaulted her conscious mind, in a horrid nightmare of images. The recent sight of her mother, pregnant and shopping in Greece drifted into focus making Sloane's claim very real.

"You're lying." Sydney spit with more conviction than she felt.

"Your mother will be meeting us in 72 hours to negotiate your release. Maybe we'll both learn the truth of your paternity once she arrives." He left the room before Sydney was able to question him further.

Unable to quell the devastation she felt at the idea of Sloane fathering her, Sydney leaned over and emptied the meager contents of her stomach onto the floor to her right.

**TBC**


	31. Chapter 31

**JACK'S HOME – L.A.**

After coming in from the office, Jack had grabbed a drink and parked himself on the couch in the living room, waiting for Irina's call. He toyed with the idea of a stiff drink but decided it was best if he was in control of all his faculties when dealing with issues regarding Sydney's capture. His daughter was counting on him to find her.

His daughter.

Knowing Sloane was the one who had her troubled him in ways he wished were impossible. The man would not hesitate to hurt Sydney if it served his purpose but he would likely exhaust all avenues before taking such measures. Truly, it was what he might tell Sydney that had Jack worried. Sloane's ability to play mind games were notorious during his time with the CIA and later when he ran SD-6 and while he respected his abilities, any professional courtesies vanished when the game was played with Sydney.

Sloane had just enough information to blow Sydney's life apart at the seams once more. And with Sydney's current state of mind regarding her mother, she was sure to believe anything he said.

_Flashback_

_The day was hotter than usual on the island, consuming the cool breeze with its demonic flames. Even the dust seemed to melt under the sun's rays. Jack and Irina had taken refuge in the house after their breakfast by the pool and although late afternoon was approaching, had not attempted to venture back outside._

"_Tell your son to stop kicking me in the head." Jack spoke distractedly. _

_Irina was sitting on the couch with a book in hand, while Jack lay with his head on her lap, reading one of the many pages she had supplied him with about the UN restructuring. Every few minutes her hand would loop through his hair and play over his cheek before returning to her side._

"_My son?" Her eyes moved off the page she was reading to look down at Jack, whose cheek pressed snuggly against her distended stomach. "Tell me, is an immaculate labour going to follow the immaculate conception of MY son? Or is he only mine when he's kicking you in the head?" She raised one eyebrow and pursed her lips._

"_He isn't even that large and yet I can feel his kicks through your stomach." Jack complied._

"_Yes, well it's my insides he's kicking. And no one said you had to lay out on me like some poor imitation Greek God." She turned back to her book with a satisfied grin pulling at her lips._

"_Did you here Mommy insulting Daddy like that." Jack turned his head enough so he could talk to her stomach. "But that's okay, because this 'poor imitation of a Greek God' still snagged himself a Glorious Goddess." Irina felt his lips press against her abdomen in a loving caress. _

"_I can't find any measure of pleasure in teasing you when you sweet talk me." She grinned down at him. "You fight dirty." She whispered, leaning down as far as she could before her stomach impeded her descent._

"_Only with you Action." Jack raised himself up the rest of the way to capture her lips._

"_Jack, there is something I should tell you." _

_Dropping his head back down on her lap, Jack prepared himself for whatever she was about to say. Over a week of such confessionals that generally cast her in a better light and he still felt a nervous dread encompass him._

"_If we weren't dealing with him on a regular bases I wouldn't even consider it of consequence but Sloane could make it an issue." She set her book on the table to the side of the couch and looked down at him._

"_There is a reason Arvin continues to spare Sydney's life." She paused to compose her thoughts. "He believes he may be Sydney's father." _

_She waited. Waited for the meaning of her words to resonate. Waited for the scowl to form on his features. Waited for the explosion of hurt and anger boiling beneath the surface. But they never came. Instead Jack had set his mouth in a grim line with the expectation that she would finish telling her truth._

"_Why don't you start from the beginning?" He raised his eyebrows. "You have this tendency to jump into the middle of the story and leave me questioning your sanity and motive." _

"_Your good friend Arvin had made more than a few passes at me before he married Emily. My superiors at the KGB were clear that allowing anything to happen would be a detriment to the mission, a decision I fully supported, yet turning Arvin down time and again could possibly prompt him to destroy my reputation and discover my secret in the process."_

"_And?" Jack encouraged._

"_I was an opportunist. Even at that time I was building my arsenal of information to blackmail people in places of power and lucky for me I had the foresight to corner Arvin Sloane. You were out of the country and Emily was visiting her cousin in Pennsylvania for the weekend; Arvin came by to drop off a file for you to look over when you returned on Monday." She took another steadying breath, thankful Jack had reacted more calmly to this declaration than he had earlier in the week._

"_I saw my opportunity and I seized it. I offered him something to drink and drugged his glass. We sat and talked for twenty minutes or so and right as I saw the effects of the drug, I leaned in and kissed him." She made a face, illustrating her disgust while Jack's gaze narrowed on her lips, reminding himself it had been almost thirty years since they had touched Arvin Sloane's._

"_Thank God it was only one kiss and then he passed out of the couch. I moved him to the bedroom and undressed him; not an experience I'd ever wish to repeat, and grabbed my camera. I manipulated both of us into a few compromising positions, all looking far worse than they were, considering he was dead weight, and then left him to sleep off the drug."_

_Jack sat up, running a hand through his hair, before returning his gaze to her._

"_I didn't even have to get undressed, just put on a tank top for the shots." She reassured for both their sakes. "I slept on the couch but made sure I was up before him the next morning. When he woke, although he said he couldn't remember what happened, it didn't take long for him to guess. We both promised never to speak of the incident again. I was pleased that I had received retribution for the passes he had made at his friend's wife but I became worried about what he might do when I found out I was pregnant with Sydney two months later."_

"_She as conceived when I returned that Sunday." Jack nodded along. "Or at least some time that week. Why didn't you tell me Arvin had been bothering you? I wouldn't have tolerated that." _

_Irina tilted her head, considering him. "And what would you have done Jack? Excommunicated him? I couldn't risk him wanting to tear me down in your eyes and gone looking for ghosts in my closet; he would have found plenty." Her dark, low voice held the sad truth._

"_So why did he never say anything if he thought Sydney was his?"_

"_He was without proof and I don't believe he wanted to risk losing Emily over a child that may not have been his own." The shrug of her shoulders told him there may have been an alternate motive neither were aware of. "But the pictures came in handy as I believed they would, once I had been extracted by the KGB. I was able to use them to my advantage in dealing with him on more than one occasion during the last twenty years. He refused to ever allow Emily to find out about his indiscretion and he never figured out it hadn't happened in the first place. But when Emily died, or when I believed she died the first time, I didn't have a hold over him any longer. I turned myself in shortly after, hoping to destroy him and get him away from Sydney before he could torment her with his faulty truths."_

"_That's why he didn't show me the disk he obtained with all the blackmail information on it. The pictures you had taken were on that too." Jack worked out the situation quickly._

_Irina nodded along with his theory. "He felt indebted to you I believe, thinking he had betrayed you. No matter how many times he had insinuated something happening between he and I; I don't believe he could have done it. He did value your friendship."_

"_How come you didn't have a stronger hold over him? He was obviously willing to do anything to cover up his imagined betrayal." _

"_Using the photos often would have reminded him of his believed ties to Sydney and I didn't want him anywhere near her so I used them only when it was absolutely necessary." She could still see Jack was mulling over the information in his head, putting her on edge._

"_You really should learn to start recounting stories from the beginning." He teased her. "This one could have given me a heart attack. But I admit that the thought of you lugging around Arvin Sloane is slightly humorous."_

_Irina gaped at him, with eyes wide. "I cursed quite a freely that night." She admitted. _

"_I had Sydney tested in the early nineties to determine parentage." Irina willed herself not to feel hurt as he had not been fully informed at that point. "And I've never been jealous of Arvin, although I do pity him plenty." His smiled blossomed. "I am worried now that Emily is gone that Sloane may decide to claim Sydney as his, but I'll make sure Sydney knows it isn't a possibility."_

_End Flashback_

He hadn't gotten around to telling Sydney that Sloane mistakenly thought himself a candidate for her father; it wasn't a conversation that was easily started, nor explained. And now his daughter was at the mercy of a man who would gladly share the lie with her.

The phone on the table in front of him rang, cutting through his nervous thoughts.

"Irina?" He answered.

"The meet is three days from now in Calcutta. He most certainly will not be expecting the CIA." She spoke quickly, aware of how little time they had to speak over the line.

"Thank you. I'll bring her home safely Irina."

"I know you will." She could hear the threads of guilt weaving their way into his words. He felt as though he hadn't protected their daughter.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, knowing their time was running out.

"Tired, but fine otherwise." She took a deep breath. "I don't know when I'll be able to communicate with you again but give Sydney a hug for me and be careful, I'd tell you to send someone else but I know it's wasted breath." She sighed.

"Get some rest. I miss you." He counted down the last few seconds, aware of the stress in her voice.

"Me too." And the line went dead.

**CIA JOINT TASK FORCE HEADQUARTERS – L.A.**

For three days the men and women of the CIA worked tirelessly on developing a strategy that would boast the lowest risk to all agents involved in the extraction of Sydney Bristow. Vaughn had scowled when Jack announced he would be leading the team while Vaughn monitored the operation from a CIA base in Calcutta.

With two hours left before the jet departed for the operation, Jack was hold up in his office, taking care of last minute administrative details. A deceptive calm had settled over him since his last conversation with Irina; he knew that Sloane wouldn't hurt Sydney until Irina showed up but after the time of the meet came and went, that it was anyone's guess.

The phone on his desk beeped to let him know his secretary was paging him. Keeping his eyes trained on his computer screen, he picked up the phone.

"Yes Caroline." He barked into the offending device and appeared thoughtful before replying. "Send him in."

The heavy door to his office opened to admit Vaughn. Jack watched with interest as the younger man's cool eyes stared him down. His hands clenched at his sides while trying to remain nonchalant and his face was a perfect mask of emotions. Containing his smirk Jack recognized that Agent Vaughn was doing a fairly good imitation of himself.

"We're leaving in a short while Mr. Vaughn and I have plenty to keep me occupied until then. I'd appreciate you getting to your point and then leaving." Vaughn began to crack under the weight of Jack's gaze, not able to hold the stoic composure for long.

"Sloane took Sydney a week ago; he could be doing any number of things to her, assuming she's still alive and what have we done in that time? Nothing." His face contorted in anger. "Three days ago, out of the blue, you receive information that Sloane is going to be in Calcutta with Sydney. You don't release the source, nor do you allow us to follow up and determine whether the information is legit. So in a few hours we may very well be working on bad intel which means Sydney is still out there somewhere."

"Let me ask you something Mr. Vaughn; do you fancy yourself my daughter's protector?" Jack sat stiffly in his chair. "Do you lament the fact that Sydney can more often than not fend for herself? It means you can't play hero. Or perhaps it bothers you that my daughter and I have begun rebuilding our relationship; that you may not be the only one she comes to when she has a problem." He watched as the anger boiled with ferocity on Vaughn's face.

"You're young and your actions are more often than not rash. I have allowed it only until now because you often have Sydney's best interests at heart. But Agent Vaughn," He spit. "your righteousness is not only unappreciated but it is completely unacceptable. Whatever you may think of me as a father, my record as an agent speaks for itself." He leaned back in his seat, the tension seeming to drain out of him.

"For reasons you can't even begin to understand, Sloane will not kill Sydney. It is likely that he won't even torture her. And my sources, Agent Vaughn, will remain my own. I am not in the habit of compromising my information streams because you're uncomfortable." His sneer caused Vaughn to take a step backward. "Your relationship with my daughter does not entitle you to question my abilities in any facet of Sydney's life and you would do well to remember that."

There appeared to be a moment of indecision in Vaughn's eyes before he spoke again. He wanted to hurt Jack, to get a reaction from him that seemed to be lacking in the aftermath of Sydney's abduction. "Deep down, you've always hated Sydney haven't you. When you look at her all you see is Irina and the way she manipulated and deceived you."

Instead of the eruption Vaughn expected, he watched as Jack relaxed further into his chair. "I'm not sure whether I should commend you your bravery or console you your stupidity; I don't believe there has ever been a person in the agency who has questioned my love for my daughter. With good reason." He added sternly. "But you're right about one thing Mr. Vaughn, I do see much of Irina in Sydney. It's why I have no doubt she is capable of taking care of herself, waiting for us arrive."

Vaughn was flabbergasted and struggled to say something to the imposing man before him. Finally it was Jack who saved the younger agent from himself.

"I have business to attend to before we leave. Don't miss the transport Mr. Vaughn." Jack ended the conversation by returning his attention to the computer monitor on his desk, dismissing Vaughn.

**CALCUTTA**

Sydney had been knocked out before being moved off the boat and to the meeting location Sloane and Irina had decided on. She had not seen Sloane since the day he claimed he may be her father, not questioning it too much as she was more than grateful for the reprieve from him.

It did cross her mind that staying away was all part of the manipulation on his part. The longer she went without answers to her many questions regarding him and her mother, the more likely she was to come to her own conclusions.

She hadn't quite figured out how her mother expected to pull of a meeting with Sloane while in her condition, especially since she had recognized the expression on Sloane's face when talking about her mother, as the one he reserved for those he intended to kill.

The hatred she had for the woman who birthed her had no bounds but that hatred did not extend to the child she carried. Her half brother or sister was not to blame for the sins of her mother as she would then be just as culpable. If her mother did decide to show up on her behalf to this meeting, it was very likely that she wouldn't make it out alive, which is why she had resigned herself to the fact that her mother no doubt was planning to kill everyone at the meet point, not even intending to make an appearance and not intending to spare her daughter's life.

"Did you get a chance to watch the sunrise this morning Sydney? It was absolutely beautiful." Sloane said upon entering the room.

So encumbered by fatigue and hunger, she had not heard him enter the room and was startled.

"I wish you would allow me to take care of you Sydney. No father wants for their daughter to suffer and yet you insist on not eating or sleeping. Your appearance will surely upset your mother; she would hate to think her decisions led you to this point." He walked further into the room where Sydney stood chained to the wall.

"I don't know why you think my mother is going to suddenly grow a heart and come to my rescue." Her voice was slurred slightly with sleep deprivation, her breath smelling faintly of alcohol from the fluctuations of insulin in her body.

"Such a beautiful young woman." Sloane placed his hand on the side of her face, sounding every bit like a proud father. She turned her head away, wanting to recoil further but held tight by her bonds. A manic gleam grew bright in Sloane's eyes as he stepped back from her. "You cannot deny the truth Sydney. I believe with everything in me that I am your father."

"And I pray with everything in me that you're not." She bit out, her teeth grinding together.

"You are so quick to forget how I have taken care of you for so long. When you first came to work for SD-6, I looked out for you. You came to my home for dinner and would seek guidance from me." Sloane did his best impression of an innocent man, seeming more guilty in the end.

"You're wrong. I haven't forgotten. I haven't forgotten that you murdered two people I loved. Or that you tricked me into believing I was serving my country when I was merely serving your own purposes." Her head dropped, unable to hold itself up any longer.

"I know in my heart you'll forgive me eventually Sydney. Every child must eventually second-guess the actions of their parents, it helps them grow as adults. But just as surely, they come to realize their parents know what's best for them." He missed the incredulous look Sydney gave him as he walked to the door and left.

**CIA TRANSPORT EN ROUTE – CALCUTTA**

"Buddy, you look like you've been steamrolled. I know your upset about Syd, but we'll have her back before you know it. Anyway, I'm sure she's fine, the girl can kick anyone's ass." Weiss studied Vaughn's listless expression, hoping to ease the tension that permeated the air around him.

"It's not that, I mean I'm worried about her but I…" He shook his head and glanced in the direction of Jack. "I spoke to Jack before we left and while the guy is no doubt going to win asshole of the year, I'm still in the running." His brow furrowed as he went over the conversation in the office once again.

"What did you say to him? What, you blame him for Sloane taking Sydney?" Weiss joked, trying to show Vaughn how much worse it could be. But from the look Vaughn shot him, he realized his friend had indeed already gone there. "I know you don't think Jack's much of a father Mike but he is still you superior." Weiss admonished.

"I know. I know. I just lost it with him. His daughter is abducted by a lunatic and he doesn't even blink. I mean, he could care less what happens to her; if she wasn't such an asset to the CIA I doubt we'd even be going to find her." The hum of the plane drowned out Vaughn's rising voice.

"You said that to him?" Weiss' eyes widen in shock.

"I also told him that the reason he didn't care for Sydney was because she reminded him of Irina." Vaughn had to close his eyes at the memory, already feeling the shadow of remorse. Weiss pulled him away from the plane's interior wall and began inspecting his person. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I'm looking for fatal wounds. I can't believe you left Jack's office alive." Vaughn rolled his eyes but shivered at the thought. "Mike man, you're my friend but you were totally out of line with Jack."

"What, just because he's our superior doesn't-" Weiss cut him off, taking note of his friend's indigent glare.

"It isn't just that he's our superior." He sighed, not quite believing what he was about to say. "Listen, Jack may be lacking in many departments as a father but the one thing he doesn't lack is love for Sydney. He would do anything for her. He's killed for her and would likely be killed for her if it was needed. I don't agree with everything he's done but it's all been for her benefit."

Weiss let out a heavy breath, and leaned his head back against the plane. "Don't take this the wrong way but you kinda wear your heart on your sleeve. Everyone knows what you're feeling Mike, why do you think I gave you such a hard time about Sydney when you were first assigned to work with her? But that isn't how everyone operates, least of all Jack Bristow. He may not have gotten wired and visibly upset when Syd went missing like you did, but that doesn't mean he isn't; maybe you're too close to it to see."

Vaughn carefully assimilated the information, mindful of Weiss' eyes on him. He turned to the other end of the plane where Jack was sitting with his computer, avoiding any idle conversation with Dixon, who was seated beside him. He wondered not for the first time, what was going through Jack Bristow's mind; what nefarious scheme he was concocting to bring down Sloane and Derevko.

Jack's eyes remained on the screen of the laptop but his mind began to wander. For three days he deluded himself into believing the op would be simple and that Sydney would be fine but the closer they came to their destination, the more he began to worry.

He couldn't afford to be tense and distracted on this mission; it could mean Sydney's life. In an effort to prepare himself, he allowed his mind to drift to another time and place, when having to extract his daughter from the clutches of a madman was only a fleeting nightmare.

_Flashback _

_A Saturday in June was best spent at one of the parks closest to their home in Virginia. Jack and Irina had decided to take Sydney for a walk and play, thankful that they had seen the last of winter for that year._

"_I want down Mama." Two year old Sydney demanded, pounding her hands against the front of the stroller._

"_We're almost there Honey." Irina soothed, glancing at her husband._

"_Now. Now. Now!" Their daughter yelled in response._

"_You're not going to get what you want by throwing a tantrum Sydney." Irina dismissed her daughter's attempt at being released from the prison of her stroller._

"_How about I carry you the rest of the way Princess." Jack leaned over and smiled at his little girl._

"_K Daddy." She lifted her arms, waiting for him to pick her up and settled against him._

"_You give in too easily." Irina rolled her eyes at him._

"_You don't complain when it's you I'm giving in to." He smiled slyly and chuckled when she ducked her head a blushed._

_They got to the park and Jack placed Sydney on the grass and watched her take off running as fast as her little legs could carry her. The two adults left the stroller under a tree and chased after her. For a while they played, pretending not to be able to catch Sydney as she ran in loopy circles. Realizing Sydney was not tiring any time soon, Irina thought it might be a good idea to change the game._

"_Why don't I grab the ball?" She nodded to the stroller and grabbed the soft ball, pausing to watch as Jack caught Sydney and flipped her upside down before hugging her tight in his arms._

"_This game is just to me and Daddy, Mama." Sydney took the ball from her and turned back to her father._

"_I think I've just been dismissed." She and Jack shared a smirk. "I brought a book with me; you two have fun." She gave Jack a kiss and a smile before heading back to the tree and taking out her book._

_Sitting under the tree, she had a great view of her husband as daughter as they kicked and threw the ball back and forth between them. She figured Sydney wouldn't last much long as it was approaching her nap time. Just as she finished the third chapter her daughter flew into her arms._

"_Did you and Daddy have fun?" She smiled and kissed her soft brown hair and Sydney's head nodded against her._

"_Lots Mama, but we missed you." Her high pitched tone made it sound as though she were posing a question._

"_Yeah Mommy, we missed you." Jack sat down beside her and shared a kissed with his wife._

"_Did you?" Irina eyed them both. "It's almost someone's nap time." She said as she watched Sydney snuggle deeper in her lap._

"_I love the park Mama." Her voice began to fade as her eyes closed and sleep claimed her._

"_Are you as worn out as our daughter?" She smiled, turning toward Jack._

"_If we get her home and in bed, we should have a good three hours to ourselves, she expended a lot of energy today." Jack captured Irina's lips in a heated kiss, leaving no doubt as to what he planned to do with their three hours._

"_I suppose that's a no." She answered her own question, sharing another kiss. _

"_Come on, she's so tired even your screams won't wake her." Jack picked Sydney up and placed her in the stroller before taking Irina's hand and helping her up._

"_Is that a promise to make me scream?" He pulled her close, sampling her neck._

"_Oh yeah." He whispered._

"_I love the park." Irina sighed as they pulled apart enough to walk the short distance home._

_End Flashback_

It was one of the first times he had looked back on a particular event during his marriage to Irina and not wondered what ulterior motive the scenario boasted. Jack almost smiled, realizing he was able to enjoy the memories he had of Sydney as a young girl now.

"Jack, how long have we known each other?" Dixon drew him out of his memory fog.

"Since SD-6 was first formed." Jack looked at the man beside him.

"I respect you Jack but even more I care about you and Sydney." Dixon held his eyes. "Which is why I'm going to ask you this one question. And know that I won't mention it to anyone else." Jack furrowed his brow in confusion as Dixon took a deep breath. "Do you know what you're doing with her?"

The confusion only seemed to deepen on Jack's face as he mulled over Dixon's words. "I'm not sure I understand." The other man glanced around the plane quickly, making sure they were alone.

"Like I said, I've known you longer than anyone else in here or in the field office. After you got back from your trip I assumed you had met someone while you were there, I even said as much to Sydney. What I wasn't sure of was the who." He noticed Jack was beginning to follow. "Who was the woman who was able to get past the Bristow Walls; who was it that was able to make you forget about past betrayals? And then you announce a source told you that Sloane believes he's meeting Irina Derevko in Calcutta. I just wanted to make sure you had the fire you're playing with under control."

Contemplating the man beside him, Jack tried to decide whether to outright deny seeing Irina or admit the truth. He knew Dixon wouldn't say anything but he didn't know if it was fair to put him in a position that may eventually make him an accessory in the eyes of American law.

"I don't know what you're talking about Marcus." Dixon didn't even try to hide the grin Jack's words ignited.

"After Diane died," he paused, knowing he had Jack's full attention. "I thought a lot about your situation. I tried to put myself in your shoes, and imagine how I would feel to find out my wife had betrayed me and my country and then walk back into my life." He paused again, sighing. "Maybe it was because it is still too fresh but I realized that betrayal or not, if I could get Diane back alive, I want it." The men regarded each other with an understanding unlike any other. "I guess I was just projecting." He shrugged.

"I guess." Jack responded and returned his attention to the computer, missing Dixon's satisfied smiled.

**TBC**


	32. Chapter 32

AN: I have left this unattended for too long…..figured I should post everything of it I have. I have totally dishonoured those who took an interest in this story and I apologize.

**SYROS, GREECE**

The heat of late August was refreshing in comparison to the oppressive warmth of the early summer. Irina had needed to escape the house and her over active imagination. The past week was spent tossing and turning, feeling weighed down by the capture of her daughter.

A glance outside during breakfast had inspired her to take a walk down to the beach in hopes of relaxing some. She walked down the road from the house, with one hand on her stomach; the baby seemed more restless than usual today.

As she got to the bottom of the road, with the beach on the left hand side, she slipped off her shoes and eased herself onto the sand. Although she would never admit it, taking off her shoes was not as simple as it once had been, no activity that included bending over was.

No amount of meditation had released the tension in her shoulders, or allowed her the sanctity of sleep. She was lost to her stream of constant worrying over every aspect of her life. She readjusted her sunglasses, as her vision blurred slightly.

Her balance felt off as the world spun before her; she tried to regain her footing on the curves of sand. One hand immediately went to her large stomach while the other jutted out to steady her. Unable to calm the approaching darkness, she closed her eyes and succumbed.

"Hey dude, isn't that Jack's wife?" Kyle asked his friend. There were nine of them at the beach that day and the three boys who had met the couple before were anxious to prove their story.

"Yeah. Irina right?" The taller friend asked.

"Yep. I haven't seen either of them out for like a month. We should say hi Jordan." Kyle said.

Sensation in her legs was lost as they wobbled beneath her, unable to hold her weight any longer, she crumpled to the ground. With the last vestiges of thought, she forced her body backward to avoid falling on the baby.

The two guys, accompanied by three of their friends who were not in the water, began walking toward their 'fantasy' woman. They all watched in horror as she dropped to the sand in a dead faint.

"Kyle, go get help." Jordan urged as they sprinted toward her. Kyle veered off in search of help. "We need to get her to the hospital."

"How do you suppose we do that? We don't have a car." One of their friends said as they tried to rouse her.

Checking one of her pockets, Jordan came up with a set of keys and glanced up the hill. "So we take hers." He tossed the key to Kyle who had just arrived back, having gotten directions to the hospital. "Go get her car and bring it down, we'll use it to get her to the hospital. And check the house to see if Jack is there?"

Kyle returned with the car five minutes later, after having run up the hill. Their friends glanced at the Mercedes with raised eyebrows and helped Jordan lift her into the back seat and lay her out.

"I went into the house and grabbed her purse off the hall table." Kyle told Jordan.

"Dude, that's breaking and entering." He rolled his eyes.

"And this is grand theft auto but I don't really think she's going to care." Kyle pointed out. "Jack wasn't around but she did have a cell phone in her purse. There might be numbers programmed into it."

"Let's just get her to the emergency room first and then try to reach someone." Jordan utter hurriedly as Kyle maneuvered the car through the tiny streets

**CALCUTTA**

"Are you in position?" Vaughn asked over the comm.

"We're ready. How many on the perimeter?" Jack asked from his position to the side of the building.

"Only three. That can't be right." Vaughn double checked the satellite readings.

"It was a meeting of mutual respect. He would have expected Irina to only have her body guards and no one else. There is likely a device rigged to Sydney in case of an unexpected arrival." Jack surmised.

"How do you want to proceed Jack?" Dixon's voice was heard over the comm.

"Exactly as we planned." He replied. "The perimeter guards are likely on radio signal if we take them out Sloane will be alerted. We go in covertly; keep them in range." He told the rest of the team.

He and Dixon began their entrance of the facility, careful to stay out of sight of the guards while not tripping any other alarm. They enter with the ease of experience and began searching for Sydney. They encountered only two other guards, walking the halls of the facility, getting rid of them both quickly.

"I don't like this Jack. Something tells me that Sydney is wired to an explosive because this is just too easy." Dixon spoke softly to his partner.

"He wanted to kill Irina; he only took Sydney because he thought it might lure her here. I think we're the ones who have to be careful."

"Jack, here." Dixon motioned to a locked steel door. With the aid of the lights on their weapons, Jack and Dixon were able to make out Sydney's form chained to the far wall.

"Sydney." Jack called out. Her head popped up and relief flooded her face.

"Daddy." She said with relief.

"Sydney, is there anything in the room that we should avoid? Do you know if you're attached to anything?" Jack asked, remaining in the doorway until he received an answer.

"You mean other than the wall? No, not that I know of. They just brought me here this morning." Maintaining his sharp focus on the room, he took his first steps in her direction.

"Dixon, help me with the chains." He called over his shoulder, while he pulled out the small laser Marshall had equipped both of them with. "Are you okay Sweetheart?" Jack asked, knowing the question was completely absurd just by looking at her.

"Fine, just tired and hungry. Sloane said that Mom was coming to meet him today and negotiate my release. But I knew she wouldn't come because-" She broke off suddenly.

"Because of what?" Dixon prompted.

"Because she would never risk her own life to save mine." Tears welled up in Sydney's eyes, although he wasn't sure whether it was because she thought her mother didn't love her or that she was minutes away from being out of Sloane's custody. "I knew you'd come Daddy." The chains came free and she collapsed into his arms.

"Syd, are you okay to walk out of here?" Dixon checked her over quickly for any signs of injury.

"Yeah, let's go." She whispered, holding tight to her father as they left the room.

"You know Jack, if you weren't so impatient I would have rid the world of the person you hate most." Sloane stood at the end of one hallway unarmed but ensconced by three guards.

"If I had known you were planning a suicide I would have brought popcorn and enjoyed the show." He replied, his gun aimed on Sloane, knowing his guard's guns were trained on him.

"So bitter Jack. But I suppose I can understand, Irina did betray you countless times. Some betrayals you may not have even been aware of." He taunted. Sydney sent a quick look to her father, not wanting Sloane to tell him about the affair.

"I know more than you think Arvin." The sneer in his voice gave Sloane pause, recognizing Jack already knew his exciting bit of news.

"I find it hard to believe you wouldn't want Irina dead if you have such insight into her treachery." The sound of a helicopter flying low over the building caught everyone's attention. "If you'll excuse me, I have a flight to catch." He moved back a few steps and spoke nonchalantly to his guards. "Get rid of them."

Before the words had left his mouth completely, Jack and Dixon had already taken out two of the guards. Sloane pulled a gun from his back and fired in return before trying to cut and run. In a split second, Sydney watched as Jack fired a shot that hit Sloane in the arm as he was escaping. The remaining guard launched a bullet hitting Jack square in the chest. He fell back with the force of it, faintly hearing Sydney scream 'Dad' as he met the floor.

He had never been a stickler for protocol; in fact, he often did everything in his power to break down the barriers the CIA had in place for their agents. It was a silent rebellion, an act of individual liberty which years of abuse in the name of the American flag had given him the right to. But today he had decided to go by the book. Today he was going to rescue his daughter. Today his life would be saved by the protocols he took such pleasure in bending to fit his needs.

"Dad!" Sydney screamed as she watched her father fall backward with the force of the bullet.

As he impacted the floor Jack was unable to respond, the wind seemingly knocked out of him from both sides.

"He's wearing a vest Syd." Dixon reassured her. "I'm going after Sloane." He hurried down the hall with his gun at the ready in front of him.

Sydney dropped beside her father, quickly undoing his jacket and checking for any signs of blood. "Dad, are you hit?" She asked urgently.

"I don't' think it made it through the kevlar." Jack spoke once his breath returned to him. He could do little more than watch as his daughter removed his vest to check further.

"It went through eight layers." She marveled at how close the bullet came to penetrating the vest completely and imbedding itself in her father's chest. "It's already starting to bruise." Sydney shook her head in dismay. "That's going to hurt in the morning."

"I'll be fine." He assured her.

Before she could comment to the contrary, Dixon returned to them. "Sloane got away. He had a helicopter standing by but he was hit in the fire fight." He nodded at Jack, acknowledging it was his shot that hit Sloane.

"Can't say I wouldn't have like if the shot had been to his head as oppose to his arm." Jack took as deep a breath as he could manage and steadied himself to get up.

"Let's get out of here and get you both checked over by a doctor." Dixon grabbed Jack's gun and placed a steadying arm on his back. He knew he was one of the few people who Jack would allow to assist him in any way and felt strangely privileged.

"I'm fine."

"I'm fine."

Had the mood been right, Dixon knew he would have laughed at hearing both Bristows claiming there was nothing wrong with them.

"Then humor me." He tried to contain the eye roll begging to surface.

"Team leader, the is base camp." Vaughn sounded over the comm pieces. "What is your status on the package?"

"We've retrieved the package and are coming in." Jack responded.

"Copy that leader; we'll be waiting."

**CIA TEMPORARY BASE OF OPERATIONS – CALCUTTA**

"Agent Bristow, Langley is holding for you on the secure line." One of the mission agents said as soon as they walked through the doors of the small warehouse.

Jack nodded to them and went off to take the call, watching Vaughn greet Sydney out of the corner of his eye.

"Syd." He breathed as he hugged her to him.

"I'm alright Vaughn." She replied, holding him tight.

"Did Sloane tell you why he abducted you?" He pulled back to look her over, for any signs of injury.

"He was trying to lure my mother in. I was just the bait. She had agreed to meet him to negotiate my release. But she didn't show, which isn't really a surprise." Her huff startled him somewhat.

"Maybe we just beat her to the location. She might have been on her way." It seemed almost comical that they reversed roles regarding the loyalties of her mother. When Sydney believed in her, Vaughn saw fit to keep her feet on the ground and remind her of all the horrific things the woman had done. But when Sydney seemed ready to give up any hope of her mother loving her, he was there to provide Irina Derevko a possibility of redemption. If he was honest, he liked neither role.

"Trust me Vaughn, she wasn't coming." Sydney reaffirmed. "But I think it's time we redoubled our efforts to find her. She should be in prison." She didn't add that the child she was carrying should be taken away from her and spared the heartache she had endured by never having to know Irina Derevko existed.

"Have you been checked over by a doctor yet?" He asked suddenly.

"No, but I'm fine. Sloane wasn't going to hurt me; any damage that was done, was because I didn't eat and tried to stay awake as long as I could." Remembering her conversations with Sloane about her lack of eating reminded her of how much she needed to talk to her father. "I have to talk to my Dad."

"What about?" Vaughn questioned.

Although she loved him, there were times when Vaughn's nosiness became annoying. "I just have to talk to my father." She reiterated.

"Do me a favor then; get checked out by the medic while you're waiting for him to get off the phone." Vaughn pleaded as his furrowed brow, to which Sydney could only concede, her eyes straying to the man she had called Dad all her life.

"Jack, we need you to exercise some of those administrative duties we promised you would have." The director of the CIA spoke on the other end of the phone.

"Promised? I thought it was more of a threat." He joked blandly, the other man responded with laughter.

"The CIA field office in Turkey is in need of some organization and training. I'd like you and a few of your people to go to the facility and help them out. Many of the agents there have minimal field experience and the director of the office is more than a little green. It should only take you three days; you can take a long weekend off, or work outside of the office once its done." He tempted.

"The office must be a mess if you're trying to bribe me with time off." He smirked knowing the Director could hear it in his tone. "But I think I might take you up on that offer of the weekend; I'd like to send some time with my daughter." He glanced across the busy warehouse to see his daughter with an impatient frown, being looked over by the medic.

"I was pleased to hear she was safely rescued. She does have a habit of getting herself into precarious situations doesn't she." He commented offhandedly to Jack.

"Indeed. She seems to take after me in that regard." He waited for the bark of laughter to die down. "Although she does manage to get herself out of most of them."

"As did you if recall correctly." The director responded. "I'll speak to you again whenever you arrive back in LA. Good luck in Turkey Jack." Without leaving Jack time to reply, the Director disconnected.

"Dad, can I talk to you a minute." Sydney swooped in as soon as she saw him get off the phone.

"Sydney, can it keep for a little while?" It was a few seconds before she nodded in compliance. "Agent Weiss, Vaughn, Dixon." He called, waving them over to his place in the warehouse. "The Director has been having some problems with the performance level of the CIA field office in Turkey. He has asked us to help them straighten out their administrative and protocol difficulties. It should only take three days." He glanced at each one of the agents he intended to take with him. "I'd also like for Marshall to join us in Turkey to provide them with tech support. Our flight leaves in two hours." He gave a curt nod to send the on their way.

Dixon remained beside him, waiting for Jack to acknowledge his presence. "Jack, I hate to ask, but the sitter can't stay for more than the next two days with the kids and my sister is out of the country for the next month." The implied question hung in the air.

"Would you rather return to Los Angeles tonight?" Flashes of missions being extended while Sydney waited at home for her father to return shuffled across his mind, feeling an immediate sympathy for Dixon.

"No, I'd like to be part of the team in Turkey. With their operation running more efficiently, the rest of the CIA operations will. They may very well be missing information in a disorganized stream, but I would appreciate if I could leave a day early."

"You'll have to take a commercial flight and there will likely be a stop over in London." Jack picked up one of the files outlining the most recent mission specs.

"Thanks Jack." Dixon's eyes spoke the appreciated that his words were not able to. The two men regarded each other with a calm understanding for a long moment before Jack strode past him, to the other end of the facility.

**CIA PLANE EN ROUTE – TURKEY**

"Can we talk now Dad?" Sydney sat down across from him at the front of the aircraft. His attention immediately left the files in front of him and focused on his daughter.

"Of course." His guard went up as he read the questions in the dark eyes before him. Sloane had obviously not missed the opportunity to impart his fables to Sydney.

"After you found out about Irina, did you ever wonder if her betrayals went beyond the stealing of information and murder?" Her hands folded and then refolded themselves in her lap.

Irina. He mentally rolled his eyes at his daughter's proclivity for believing Arvin Sloane after everything she has gone through at his hand.

"Not at first. I suppose I thought murder and espionage were enough." He words held the necessary bite. "As time went on, I did conjure up all different scenarios of further betrayals by your mother." Something altogether twisted in him wanted to make her speak the words and hear how absurd they sounded to her own ears.

"She had an affair with Sloane." Jack watched with interest as Sydney prepared herself for the onslaught of a storm. When he gave her no response other than a cold look, she continued. "And there might be a possibility that I'm his daughter." Jack pondered how long Sydney would be able to hold her breath in front of him before she turned blue with the effort.

"And if you were, would that change anything?" His expression didn't shift.

Sydney opened her mouth to provide an instant response but closed it again when Jack raised his eyebrows. Instead of giving him the knee-jerk reply, she thought about it for a few moments, eventually setting her shoulders and looking him in the eye.

"No. It wouldn't change a thing." Her smiled failed to reach her eyes at her father's scowl.

"Good." He sat forward slightly to drive his next point home. "There are no limits to what Arvin Sloane will do to achieve his goals, you know that." He waited as she nodded in agreement. He took pity on her and decided to allay her fears. "You don't have to worry about Sloane being your father. There isn't a doubt in my mind that you're mine."

"You had us tested?" Sydney didn't really know why it shocked her that her father had done it.

"Yes. However, Sloane was never a candidate for your father." He raised his eyebrows at her. "Your mother and he never had an affair."

"How do you know that?"

"Your mother told me." He said meaningfully.

"And you would believe her?" She asked incredulously.

"Why not? You believed Sloane." Jack countered.

"Let's just say in this regard, I have more reason to believe Arvin Sloane than you have to believe Irina Derevko." Sydney said indignantly.

He nearly laughed out loud at that. "Well, whether you believe it happened or not, you're still my daughter." He waited a beat. "Sorry." She glanced sharply at him in time to see his smirk, which she returned.

**SYROS, GREECE – HOSPITAL**

The hospital wasn't very busy, but every so often the sound of a helicopter taking off and landing on one of the three landing pads at facility could be heard.

For Kyle and Jordan the day had been nothing short of interesting. The staff at the hospital had taken Irina in immediately leaving the two boys to give any information they had to the woman at the front desk who spoke heavily accented English.

"No, I don't know who her doctor is. We don't even know her last name." Kyle sighed in frustration.

"Dude, we could just look in her purse for identification." Jordan nudged his friend.

"Sure, why not add one more to the growing list of our questionable activities." Kyle rolled his eyes.

"Well, can you think of a better way to get information on her? She's out cold and it would probably be better if her own doctor could look at her." Jordan reasoned.

"Fine, you look through the purse and I'll check the phone to see if Jack's number is programmed in." Kyle picked up the phone while Jordan sorted through the contents of Irina's purse.

"Fine anything?" Kyle asked after a minute passed.

"She's got like ten different credit cards and they all have different names." Jordan looked up with wide eyes. "Dude, you don't think she's like a klepto do you?"

"Her?" Kyle pointed in the direction the hospital staff went. "Not likely, let me see that." He pulled the purse towards him to check out the cards himself. "She's got at least five thousand in cash here." There was a pause while he continued to look through the bag. "Here, this is the only card that's first name is Irina. This is probably her name." He showed Jordan the card. "Irina Bristow." He announced, trying the name out.

"Did you find anything in the phone?" Jordan took back the purse and walked up the woman at the desk.

"Yeah, she has 911 programmed in." Kyle twisted his face in confusion.

"Who programs 911 into their phone? I don't even think that's the number you call for help in Greece." Jordan waited for the woman to address him. "The patient's name is Irina Bristow." She nodded her understanding and typed it into the computer.

"I'm pretty sure it's universal." Kyle shook his head.

"I don't think it is." Jordan replied distractedly.

"Why are we arguing about it? It doesn't matter; it's still weird." Kyle shrugged.

"So, let's think about it then. I mean, 911 is a number for emergencies right. The number in the phone could be a number that just means emergency." Jordan pondered carefully.

"Wow, that university education is really paying off." Kyle joked.

Jordan laughed. "I know, my parents will be so proud." He paused a second longer. "Maybe the number is Jack's. We should try calling it."

The woman at the administrative desk turned back to the boys as Kyle hit the send button. "How you pay?" She said, the words finally audible through her accent.

"Interesting how that is the only sentence I've understood her stay so far." He mumbled under his breath to Kyle.

"The lady will be paying. I can't sign for her card, but here it is." He passed over the credit card baring 'Irina Bristow' to the woman, who swiped it through.

"Okay, Okay, no sign." The woman waved him off after handing back the card.

"This is a klepto's paradise. They didn't even make me sign. I told you she is stealing credit cards." He rolled his eyes at Kyle who was waiting for the phone to begin to ring on the other end. "If we end up being accessories to some organized crime game, I'm selling you out for a lesser charge." Jordan pointed at his friend.

"You're so paranoid." He titled his head to the side in exasperation.

"Is it ringing?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah, I'm just waiting for someone to pick-" He was cut off as the other end picked up and a woman answered evenly.

"You've reached the Central Intelligence Agency, can I help you?"

Kyle's eyes widened in disbelief; he pulled the phone away from his ear to stare at it as though it had betrayed him. Jordan caught sight of his wide-eyed expression and mouthed the word 'what'. Taking care to cover the mouth-piece, Kyle leaned closer to his friend.

"It's the CIA." He whispered.

"Dude, stop messing around and dial the number. We don't have all day and Irina didn't look too great when we brought her in." He scolded his buddy.

"Jordan man, I'm serious. She's got the f CIA programmed into her phone." He shook the offending device up and down between his two hands, still covering the mic. "Maybe she's like a spy or something." He held the phone out for Jordan to take.

"There is no way that woman," He pointed down the hallway. "is a spy." Neither spoke for a few minutes.

"What do I say?" Kyle finally asked.

**CIA FIELD OFFICE – TURKEY**

"We would like to be able to make a better contribution to the CIA offices; however, we're neither equipped nor trained to handle the copious amounts of information coming in through our channels. I'm hoping your team will be able to make a difference here Director Bristow." The Director of the field office walked along side Jack, trying to keep up with the other man's long strides.

"We're hoping for a similarly positive result. I've already reviewed some of your office files, and resource allotments. While the rest of my agents are working with your team, I would like to go over some strategies to save time and manpower with many of the office tasks." Jack spoke simply to the younger agent, trying not to throw too much information at him at one time.

"I would appreciate the direction Sir. We can go over the briefs in my office." He gestured to a room at the end of the hall they were currently walking.

Jack had no intention of spending three whole days, working at organizing the field office, which is why he had sent for Marshall and was sure to bring along his best agents. The office about as poorly run as the CIA had originally believed and they were in need of some desperate redesign of their systems, many if not most of them were functioning far below CIA code.

As he sat down at a table in the field Director's office, he reached into his pocket and switched off his phone, hoping to finish the work quicker without any interruptions.

**CIA TASK FORCE HEADQUATERS – LA**

The phone rang on Jack's secretary's desk, pulling her from the seamless stream she was typing. It took Caroline a moment to realize the call was coming in on her secure line. The line the CIA did not know existed. There was a moment's hesitation when every horrific scenario flickered across her mind before she picked up the phone.

"You've reached the Central Intelligence Agency, can I help you?" She spoke evenly, chalk full of professionalism. She could not take any chances while in the office; the CIA may have found the line and decided to test her loyalties, even Jack wasn't aware of her actually affiliation.

Part of her prayed the CIA had discovered the line, as the alternative was unthinkable. Images of her husband laying dead somewhere brought unbidden tears to her eyes. But as the other end remained quiet, that possibility of a CIA test grew dim, the caller would not speak until she acknowledged it was safe to talk.

"The line is secure." Her words were little more than a whisper; not wanting to hear how her husband had been kill when Sloane found out his loyalties were not true.

**SYROS, GREECE – HOSPITAL**

Jordan grabbed the phone from Kyle and held it to his ear, hearing the tail end of the speaker.

"Yeah, hi. My name's Jordan and I'm calling because I have a little bit of an emergency here." His face was set resolutely, trying not to be terrified at the prospect of speaking to the CIA.

"How did you get this number?" Caroline asked sternly from the other end.

"We're trying to reach Jack Bristow." Jordan hoped he had the right name. "This was the only number in his wife's phone and we thought maybe it was his."

"His wife?" Caroline's defensives rose exponentially, her worry shifting from Darius' health to Irina's.

"Yeah. Irina." Jordan glanced at Kyle, both boys growing antsy.

"Where are you now? Did something happen to her?"

"She was out walking on the beach and she just collapsed. My friend Kyle and I brought her to the hospital."

"Dude, don't use my name!" Kyle said with nervous exasperation.

"What's wrong with her?" Caroline's grip tightened on the phone.

"I have no idea lady. All I know is she's out cold. Why the hell does she have the CIA programmed into her phone?" Jordan's agitation turned aggressive with his budding fear.

"Is it just the two of you there?" Caroline thought fast, needing to do damage control.

"Yep, just me and Kyle." He emphasized his friend's name with a smirk.

"Alright, I can get in touch with Jack, don't worry about that. But I need you both to be sure not to mention this to anyone; not your friends, your parents or even to each other. It's a matter of national security." She said gravely.

"We're Canadian, it's not our national security." Jordan's insolent reply got him a sharp glare from Kyle.

"Well, I'm assuming because you helped her, you like Irina and if you do mention this again her life will be in danger. You two don't want to be responsible for her death do you?" Caroline held her breath.

"No." Jordan responded sullenly. "I'm sorry for my tone before, that woman seriously knows how to unnerve people and I been on edge since we saw her collapse. We're at a hospital in-"

"Don't tell me. I'm better off not knowing where it is you're calling from." She stopped him, knowing Irina wanted to be safe. When she had asked her to take the job as Jack's secretary so she would have a way to get in touch with him in case of emergencies, Caroline had sensed something in her voice. Irina didn't take the decision to go into hiding lightly but had not shared the reasons she had chosen to.

Caroline smiled on the other end of the phone, aware all too well of Irina's unnerving capabilities. "I'm sure the Bristows will be grateful to know of everything you did to help. Jack will be there as soon as I get a hold of him."

"Yes Ma'am." Jordan spoke softly. "You don't think she'll be mad that we stole her car to bring her here and searched her purse do you?" The fear once again battling the frustration for supremacy in his eyes.

"If anything, she'll commend you your resourcefulness. Remember, no one hears of this." She reiterated.

"Okay. I didn't get your name." Jordan commented quickly.

"It's not important. And don't try to use the phone again, it won't work." She told them before hanging up.

"I told you it was the CIA." Kyle huffed.

"Man, that was the coolest two minutes of my life." A grin began forming on Jordan's face.

"Just wait until everyone at the house hear this." Kyle shook his head.

"We can't say anything Kyle." Jordan straightened his form, towering a good five inches over Kyle. "The woman said that it might get Irina killed."

"Sure, I won't say a word." He paused, thinking over the conversation. "Dude, she really is a spy." Kyle's mind began racing.

"So what does this mean?" Jordan checked the phone and saw it read 'no service' where only a moment ago he had been talking across the ocean.

"That spies have the hottest sex." Kyle surmised.

Jordan looked as though he was going to make a remark about Kyle's words being inappropriate then stopped himself, understanding lighting his face.

"Word Man. We need to become spies."

Both boys silently agreed that they would wait at the hospital at least until the doctor told them what was wrong, neither wanting to leave Irina alone.

TBC


	33. Chapter 33

**CIA TASK FORCE HEADQUARTERS – LA**

Caroline tried for the forth time to get through to Jack's on his cell phone, encountering only his voice mail. She resigned herself to calling in the next few hours, hoping he had turned his phone back on by then. Irina needed him, wherever she was.

**SYROS, GREECE – HOSPITAL**

Dr. Yana Milesokva had been alerted to Irina's presence in the hospital the moment her name had been entered in to the computer system. She wasted no time in reaching the emergency room to check on the status of her patient.

"What's the situation?" She asked in Greek upon entering the emergency room facility.

"Is she your patient Dr. Milesokva?" The ER doctor asked her.

"Yes. What are the fetal monitors readings?"

"Baby has a base line heartbeat, 140 beats per minute." The nurse told her.

"I'm going to take care of my other patients if you would like to take over with this one Yana." The ER doctor waited for Yana to nod before leaving the room.

"Was she unconscious when she came in?" Yana asked, taking Irina's blood pressure.

"Yes." The nurse replied.

"Who brought her in?"

"Two young boys. They said she collapsed on the beach." The nurse finished drawing blood.

"Really." Yana smirked at her unconscious friend. "Irina, still stopping the hearts of young boys." She glanced at the readings of her blood pressure. "A little high. I need the results of the blood test." The other nurse responded that she was taking it to be done right away. "What is wrong with you Irina?" She shook her head, sighing in frustration.

**CIA FIELD OFFICE – TURKEY**

Jack had worked right through the night after uncovering a plethora of other problems with the field office's operating procedures. His back burned with discomfort at the static position he had maintained while he tried to piece together the ruins of the information system.

"Hey Dad, how are you doing in here?" Sydney knocked gently on the door before entering the briefing room her father was working in.

"This office is completely dysfunctional. I don't know how the CIA ever let it get this bad." He dropped his pen onto the files in front of him to look up at his daughter.

"I know. I'm pretty sure it's going to take us longer than three days to give this place some semblance of order." She sunk down into the seat in front of him, grateful to have a moment to rest.

"Sydney, why don't up go check into a hotel. You're still recovering from your ordeal with Sloane; you haven't had a decent meal or a proper sleep in over a week." Sydney smiled at her father's concern.

"I had a nap in their break room here. They have a few cots set up and Vaughn grabbed me something from the cafeteria earlier. I'll be okay for a little while yet." She sighed. "I would like to feel as though we've made a dent in the work before I leave."

"Our time is being wasted here. We should be capitalizing on Sloane's injury, he is not going to be able to escape as quickly with a bullet wound." Jack scowled at the thought.

"That reminds me," Sydney said suddenly. "Kendall called earlier and said he was trying to get in touch with you but you weren't answering your phone."

"I turned my cell off yesterday hoping it would limit the number of distractions. I suppose I forgot to turn it back on." Jack pulled the device out of his pocket and hit the power button. "Did he say what he wanted?"

"Just that he was looking to run a few things by you." As an afterthought she added. "He's being really gracious about your promotion. Not what I would expect from him."

"I know. Sickening isn't it." Jack pulled a face, making Sydney smile. "He's still an ass, but an ass that gets the job done."

"I like this new you." She admitted out of nowhere. Jack looked slightly confused. "It's a good thing Irina Derevko is out of our lives, you've been more relaxed since she vanished." Jack gave nothing away but inwardly ached watching Sydney's eyes brighten considerably.

"My hatred of your mother no longer rules my life." He commented, knowing she would miss the alternate meanings. His cell phone rang as Sydney opened her mouth to discuss the subject further. "Why don't you go get a few more hours sleep. It looks as though we'll be here for another four or five days." He motioned to the door and answered his phone.

"I'll talk to you later." Sydney nodded before leaving him to take the call in private.

"Jack Bristow." He answered sharply.

"Mr. Bristow, is this line secure?" Jack immediately recognized his secretary's voice on the other end.

"Caroline?" He furrowed his brow in bewilderment. "Yes, of course it is, what's wrong."

"I've been trying to reach you for over a day. I received a call early yesterday from a young man telling me that Irina was in the hospital after collapsing." Caroline wished she could have seen the look of Jack's face at that moment.

Blinding white heat danced behind Jack's eyes; the worry over his wife and unborn child assaulting his consciousness instantly. "I don't know what you're talking about Caroline. Irina Derevko hasn't been seen in months and she surely would not have someone calling the CIA to let them know she was in the hospital."

"Just like she didn't call here a week ago and tell you she would set up a meet with Sloane so you could rescue Sydney?" Caroline probed lightly.

"Why didn't you-"

"Irina needed an emergency contact who could get to you at any time in case something were to happen. And apparently something has." She interrupted.

"You work for Irina." He said with surprising calm. "I suppose I should be shocked." He replied dryly.

"We've known Irina for thirty years. Nothing she does should shock us." Jack was obviously stalling for time. Not wanting to hear what had happened to Irina.

"Caroline from the swim team?" This time his shock was evident. "Who called you to tell you she was in the hospital? Is she alright?" He questions began spewing from his brain, once he got a handle on who he was speaking to.

"I don't know most of those answers. The call was short and the boy who called was more than a little thrown off when I answered with a standard CIA line. His name was Jordan. He and his friend Kyle had driven Irina to the hospital."

"I know who they are." Jack felt a margin of relief that Irina was at least being taken care of. "You told them not to mention what happened."

Caroline couldn't tell if Jack had asked a question or made a statement. "Yes." She chose to answer anyway. "I don't know where she is Jack but you had best get to her as soon as you can."

"I'm stuck in Turkey for the next few days and there's no way I can leave without being noticed. Damnit, why does have to be so hard?"

"I'm sure Irina will be fine. She's strong and quite resilient. She's come back from far worse things than collapsing on the beach." She placated, not sure why everyone seemed to be so anxious; Irina was more than capable of taking care of herself.

"Yes but those times she wasn't-" Jack stopped himself before revealing information about Irina's condition.

"Whenever you can, go to her. I'll cover for you as much as I can here." She promised kindly.

"Thank you." He paused to think for a moment. "Not that I don't appreciate your help Caroline but I thought that you hated Irina."

Caroline smiled at that. "I never hated Irina. I hated the fact that she blew most of my times out of the water, literally, but I didn't hate her. She helped my husband and I out a while ago and we've stayed in touch ever since. She's our eldest son's godmother."

"Darius Larkin is your husband." Jack quickly surmised.

"I see she mentioned us." Caroline's smile grew. "Give her my best when you see her."

Caroline ended the call abruptly, satisfied that she had finally gotten in touch with Jack. However, Jack was not feeling as satisfied. His mind raced to come up with a way to tactfully escape the work of organizing the field office and get to his wife's side but he came up empty.

His team had estimated five days until the office was in working order. Five days of waiting and worrying over Irina's health. Five days of wondering if his son was alright. Five days of unadulterated torture.

**SYROS, GREECE – HOSPITAL**

Yana reviewed the test results as soon as they came in, diagnosing the problem and ordering a treatment seconds later. Once that was complete, she journeyed to the waiting room to talk to the young men who had brought her patient in.

She spotted two boys who couldn't have been any older than twenty sitting anxiously in chairs as close to the administrative desk as they could get. The one boy glanced at his watch twice within a span of thirty seconds. She heard him whisper to his friend as she grew closer to them.

"Is it supposed to take this long Kyle. Something must be seriously wrong if we haven't heard anything yet." Jordan shifted nervously in his seat.

"I don't know, maybe it takes longer to check over a pregnant patient or something." Kyle folded his arms across his chest.

"You must be the two boys who brought in Irina." Yana announced as soon as she was in front of them. "I'm Dr. Milesokva." She held out her hand for both of them to shake, which they did.

"Is she going to be okay? We didn't know what to do." Kyle's voice held little confidence regarding the situation.

"You both made the right decision. She needed to get to a hospital. Thank you for taking care of my patient." Yana watched as their shoulders relaxed simultaneously.

"She's not going to die is she?" Jordan asked morosely.

"No." Yana answered their stricken looks abating slightly. "She'll be just fine. As will the baby. Why don't you stop by tomorrow morning, you'll be able to visit her then and I'm sure she'll want to see you."

"Okay." Jordan smiled in relief. "Here are the keys to her car. We kinda stole it to get her here." He admitted sheepishly.

Yana couldn't help but smile at the two boys in front of her. She took the keys, watching them walk out of the hospital bantering back and forth.

**IRINA'S HOSPITAL ROOM**

"Are you going to wake you Irina, or am I going to have to resort to dousing you with water?" Yana stood beside the bed Irina occupied.

"You should think twice about doing that again. Remember what happened last time?" Irina mumbled without opening her eyes.

"The hives eventually went away." Yana said seriously.

"What happened?" She finally opened her eyes to look at her doctor standing over her.

"You collapsed on the beach earlier today, gave two young men quite a scare." She raised her eyebrows.

"I would ask it the baby is okay but he's currently practicing his roundhouse so I would guess the answer is yes." She placed her hands protectively over her stomach.

"That's correct but you're still in this bed for a reason." Yana turned the chart around in her hands mindlessly. "You're blood tests were negative for oxytocin which was a relief because I didn't want to combat early delivery today. But you're definitely anemic."

Irina marveled at the way Yana went from friendly teasing to serious health professional in minutes.

"You're iron levels are far too low Irina and you were likely dealing with extreme fatigue on top of that. Sorry darling but you look absolutely horrendous." Yana placed the chart at the foot of the bed and walked around to the IV. "The baby is at a critical development stage and tends to absorb a great deal of iron to store to supplement while it is on a milk only diet. I think we caught it in time before any serious damage was done. It appears as though the baby has taken priority in your body; iron controls the level of oxygen carried in the blood. You fainted because your body didn't have enough oxygenated blood to function consciously after supplying the baby with an adequate amount. I don't want you to take this lightly Irina because if the baby doesn't get proper oxygen there could be serious delays in their mental and physical development." Yana completed her speech with a grave tone.

"I should have been taking better care of myself. I haven't been sleeping well or had much of an appetite for the last little while." She admitted, not mentioning the root cause being Sydney's disappearance.

"Well you're lucky the treatment is simple. I've got you on a ferrous furmarate and saline drip right now. I'd like to keep you here for a day or two and make sure your blood pressure lowers as I believe it will and we get your iron levels under control. I'm going to give you iron supplements to take home with you though. You'll take one every day just in case and I suggest getting rid of your stress. I'm sure Jack would be willing to help you with that." Yana said slyly.

"He had to go back to work and he likely won't be back for two months. I don't have any way to contact him." She sighed sadly.

Yana patted her arm in what was attempted as a reassuring gesture. "Get some sleep. Doctor's orders Irina."

"Admit it, you became a doctor so you could boss me." Irina's eyes closed and her voice became quieter.

"A nice change isn't it." Yana picked up her friend's chart and left the room. "And don't worry, you no long exist in the computer system. I love this country; for the right price anything can be done." She hit the lights on her way out of the room.

**NEXT DAY**

Jordan and Kyle had been met at the information desk by Yana and directed to Irina's room. She chuckled as she watched them hesitate at the closed door before knocking and entering.

"Um, hi Mrs. Bristow." Jordan mumbled. Irina was alert and sitting up in bed, smiling at the two boys.

"I don't believe you've told me your names gentlemen. Although I understand I owe you a debt of gratitude." She gestured for them to come further into the room and move away from the door.

"I'm Kyle and this is Jordan. It was really nothing though. When we saw you fall we just wanted to make sure you got to a hospital. Is everything alright?" Kyle blushed at her intense gaze.

"I'm fine and so is the baby. I don't know what would have happened had you both not been there to help me. Thank you." She leaned back, placing her hands over her stomach and assessed the young men in her room. Neither were able to hold her eye for more than a few seconds as they shift their weight periodically.

"We ah kinda used your car to bring you here. We're really sorry for taking it without asking and for going into your house and uh well we also kinda looked in your purse for identification for the doctors here." Jordan utter quickly, hoping some of their indiscretions would be lost in his rapid speech.

Irina gave them an easy smile. "As long as you don't decided to make a habit of it, I see no problem. Now, wouldn't you rather be spending time with your friends than in this hospital room with me?" She teased, hoping their tension would ease.

"We don't mind. We just didn't want you to be alone but I guess Jack will be here soon to keep you company." Kyle smiled.

Irina's grin faltered marginally, wishing Jack really were on his way. "Actually, Jack is working and won't be able to get back to the island for a little while yet. I decided telling him about this would just worry him needlessly and frustrate him because he can't be here with me."

"Well we-" Kyle was interrupted by Jordan who stepped on his foot to shut him up.

"When we were looking through your purse, we found your cell phone and used it to call the house to let them know where we were. I don't know what happened but after that call, the phone went dead. We're really sorry." Jordan lied seamlessly.

A flicker of trepidation raced across Irina eyes before she regained control. "I've been having trouble with the phone. Thank you for telling me though. You both should get back to your vacation though, you've only got another two weeks before fall semester begins."

"We're taking the first semester off." Kyle informed her, and received another stomp on the foot by his friend. "What?" He glared at the other boy.

Irina refrained from laughing outright at the boys' antics. "We'll stop by tomorrow to see how you're doing. Is there anything you need us to bring you?" Jordan asked.

"That is very kind of you both. According to my doctor, I've got everything I need right here." She gestured to the room and rolled her eyes. "But I appreciate the thought."

"We'll take off and let you rest." Jordan pulled on Kyle's arm, propelling him out of the room.

She released a chuckle under her breath as she watched the boys leave. Kyle appeared ready to protest the sudden departure and would no doubt be arguing with Jordan on their way out.

"Dude, what the fck." Kyle said once they were away from Irina's door. "Why the hell didn't you want to tell her that we called the fcking CIA and Jack is on the way?"

"Because we're not suppose to talk about anything related to her job. Haven't you ever watched spy movies, someone could be bugging her room or something." Jordan's exasperation earned him a scowl from Kyle. "And it will be a really great surprise when Jack does show up."

"That's if Jack makes it here alive, spies are always dying in those movies." Kyle pointed out.

"Fck you Man. Don't talk sht like that."

"Calm down Dude I was kidding."

"If Jack hears you saying that sht, he'll kick your ass." Jordan pushed a little as they left the hospital.

"What? I can take Jack." Kyle argued.

As they walked back to the town, all that could be heard was Jordan's manic laughter at his friend's overactive imagination.

Irina closed her eyes in an attempt to nap but quickly found the effort useless. Since waking yesterday to Yana's face she had felt horrible. The residual fear of having hurt the baby remained through the night, fueling her guilt at not being able to protect another of her children.

She felt inconsequential knowing that her daughter was in trouble and she was unable to help her. Scenario's crashed into her mind, teasing her with horrors befallen her family. Memories of the first fear she had over Sydney returned, forcing her to relive the terrors of almost thirty years before.

**_Flashback_**

_Waking up alone was not one of her preferred routines but with Jack away it was how her morning had begun. In her third month of pregnancy she was just beginning to see the changes to her body; the heavier and tender breasts and the tell tale expansion of her waist. She and Jack hadn't told anyone about their impending parenthood after she had explained the first three months were still risky in any pregnancy. In truth she had not discussed her condition with her handler and intended to put it off until the last possible opportunity. _

The phone rang as she set the water to boil for her morning tea. Not feeling up to talking to anyone that morning, she debated answering it, eventually picking it up.

"Hello." She summoned all the cheer she could muster.

"Hey Sweetheart. I didn't wake you did I?" Jack asked gently.

"No. I was just making myself some breakfast." Pleased now that she had chosen to answer.

"Have you been sick at all since I left?" His worry made her smile spontaneously.

"My stomach wasn't too great on Wednesday but I've been fine since then and it wasn't anything too awful. How is your trip going?" She moved through the kitchen, pulling the tea from the cupboards and preparing a mug.

"Good actually, I should be home tomorrow afternoon." He paused for a moment and weighed her tone carefully. "How are you really feeling Honey?"

Irina sighed into the phone; secretly pleased he picked up on her mood. "Lonely. Out of sorts. I miss you when you're gone and I just feel worn out today."

"Laura, maybe you should call into the University and tell them you're not coming in. Just rest." His worry returned, cursing his job for taking him away from her.

"I've only got one class today and I've scheduled a guest speaker so I won't have to do too much. But I think I'll come home right after and relax, my thesis can wait for another day." It had taken a second to get over her cringe of hearing him call her Laura.

"Sounds good. I wish I could be there to take care of you." The sincerity in his voice warmed her.

"I don't have any classes tomorrow, you can take care of me when you get home." She chuckled.

"It's a date Mrs. Bristow." He smiled. That name she had no problem with. "I have to go Honey. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you too Jack."

It was five minutes before the end of her class that she felt it for the first time; the obvious signs of menstruation. She froze. Her class had been engrossed in something her speaker had been discussing and hopefully missed her little show but as she counted down the final seconds of the class she grew anxious.

"Let's thank Dr. Hamilton for taking the time to share her knowledge of Modernist Literature with us today." The lecture hall erupted in polite applause as the students prepared to leave. "I'll see you all next Tuesday." She finished.

Shaking hands with Dr. Hamilton and thanking her once again for speaking to the class was lost in a haze of fear and anxiety as she bided her time before she could get to a bathroom while in the same thought, terrified of what she might discover.

Measured and sluggish steps took her to the English Department's section of the campus and into the restroom. Locking the door she took a deep breath before pulling her pants down and checking for what she already knew to be there.

Two dark red spots of blood greeter she, knocking the wind clear from her lungs. She dropped her head into her hands in the effort to latch onto one of her speeding thoughts. She hadn't had any cramping during the day and she was not bleeding heavily, just those two spots that glared back at her.

It occurred to her that everything would be much easier if she didn't have to tell her superiors she was pregnant. Her child would never have to know the world her parents lived in and the pain of losing a mother. Not having the child at all could be a blessing. But if it was, its disguise was too good for all she felt was turmoil at the thought of losing her baby.

Pulling herself together, she exited the restroom, retrieved her things and left the school. It was a short jaunt back to the apartment she shared with her husband, thankfully, as she didn't remember any of the drive. Irina took her phone in hand and dialed the number of her doctor.

"Hi, it's Laura Bristow calling for Dr. Goldstein." Her voice sounded shaky even to her own ears. "Is there anything available with him this afternoon?" She waited for the receptionist to check. "That would be fine. Thank you."

A cancellation would put her in the doctor's office in just under two hours. Not ever would she question the presence of her child, no matter what the future held. As she wished for Jack to be with her, she knew once and for all where her loyalties lie.

**_DOCTOR GOLDSTEIN'S OFFICE_**

_"Laura, how are you doing today?" The middle-aged man asked kindly, sitting in his office chair. _

"I've been feeling fine however I experienced some bleeding a few hours ago." She focused on regulating her breathing as opposed to the furrowed brow of her physician.

"Any cramping?"

"No." She shook her head.

"Nausea?"

"No."

"Was the bleeding heavy, light or somewhere in between?" He made notes on her chart ever time she gave him an answer.

"Light, and minimal but it was enough to get me worried." Her shoulders grew tired from the tension coiled within them.

"Well, let's get you up on the table and checked out." He got up from his seat. "I'll be right back, you can the changed into the hospital gown."

As she was changing she thought of how absurd it was that the doctor didn't want to be in the room while she changed and yet in a moment she would be sitting in a most revealing position in the stirrups.

"Alright Laura." He reentered the room and moved to her side. "Is it tender at all if I press here?" He pressed on her abdomen.

"No." She answered.

"Here?" He moved his hand.

"No."

Twenty minutes later Irina was redressed, sitting in his office as he gave her his findings.

"What you've experienced is likely just a little spotting. Some women will continue to bleed marginally while pregnant. Yours was minimal and hasn't seemed to trigger any other problems. If it continues for more than three days I want you to come back and see me but other than that, I don't foresee anything wrong."

"So this is normal?" She inquired further.

"Not normal but not all that uncommon either. The best thing I can recommend for you now is rest. And you should abstain from sex for the next week or so just as a precaution." He told her.

"Thank you, I can't tell you how much of a relief that is to hear." She let out a breath.

"Being a first time mother is enough to deal with, take care of yourself and I assure you that baby will be perfectly healthy." A reassuring smile and a pat on the arm marked the end of their appointment.

**_End Flashback_**

**CIA FIELD OFFICE – TURKEY (Sixth Day There)**

Finally the office was in working order; it had only taken three days longer than the CIA had thought it would. Everyone had learned quickly to steer clear of Jack Bristow, who was a ticking time bomb of fury. He had no patience with anyone in the office or from his own team, taking every opportunity to tell them they were not working fast enough or were merely incompetent.

Sydney appeared to be the only one who remained unscathed through any of his controlled tirades, although just barely. She couldn't remember a time when she had seen her father quite so unhinged, and it served to unnerve her.

Earlier that morning she had caught him staring straight ahead toward a blank wall completely void of expression. He had not turned to address her nor had he covered his uncharacteristic behavior, instead he continued to stare. She had wondered what he was thinking about while he watched the taupe wall although the answer would have shocked.

Jack had trouble imagining Caroline as a friend and confident of Irina's. The two women were constantly a breath away from killing each other thirty years before.

**_Flashback_**

_Laura had been on the swim team for a little over five weeks; she and Jack had spent every evening together since, sometimes studying, talking or making out shamelessly. They had not been showy about their fledging relationship to the their respective teammates, deciding to not mention it to anyone for a little while. As the men's practice wound down in the water, they moved to the far side of the facility to use the weights and cool down. _

Having just returned to the water a week before, Jack felt he had a lot of catching up to do in order to make his trial to compete. He was tentative about doing the weights for fear that the impact would be too much but he wasn't going to leave early and give up the opportunity to watch his girlfriend shine during her practice.

"I'm surprised Caroline's head has exploded yet. Every time she and Laura race she gets so angry. One of these days she's going to attack her." Dave told Jack from his position of the leg press.

"Eventually Caroline is going to have to face the fact that Laura is better than her. It isn't luck or magic, just skill and athleticism." Jack replied from his place doing lat pull downs.

"Always the voice of reason Jack." Dave shook his head with a grin.

They watched as the heat of girls dove into the water moving onto time trials. Coach Smith had Laura and Caroline swimming against each other again with Laura trailing just the slightest bit, no doubt waiting to shoot out and claim victory over her teammate.

"Hey, Jack do you think Caroline would say yes if I asked her out?" Dave asked, looking around to be sure no one heard him.

"You think she's a nut case and now you want to date her?" Jack's eyes widen. "I think you should ask her. If she says no, she'll still be a nut case." He shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess. What about Laura?" Dave glanced in the direction of the pool where Laura had pulled out in front of Caroline by two full body lengths.

"Laura?" Jack said nonchalantly.

"Yeah, do you think she would agree to go out with me?"

"No." Jack stated simply.

"No? You told me to at least give it a try with Caroline. What is it you have against Laura?" Dave frowned.

"Nothing, I just don't think you're her type." He told Dave evenly.

"Well, Tom said that he made out with her last week and she was pretty fun." Dave replied.

"Really. Tom said that did he. When and where did this happen?" Jack asked easily, knowing Laura had been with him just about any time she wasn't at school. She had even taken to sleeping in his office on the pull out couch when they would study well into the night.

"Thursday at McRoy's downtown."

"What was Tom doing downtown? No one goes downtown to go to the bar." Jack rolled his eyes.

"I don't know, but he said that Laura showed up there at about ten and by midnight they were having a nice little time." Dave sighed, looking at where Laura was getting out of the pool, well ahead of the other girls racing. "I don't know why Tom didn't try to make a go of it. I mean, would you give that up after just her lips?" Dave gestured across the room.

No. Jack thought.

"Tom's full of sht Dave. He never made out with Laura." Jack laughed slightly.

"And how the hell would you know?" Dave threw back. "You're never around campus, you come for your classes and are here for practice and then disappear."

"So then explain why Tom wouldn't follow through with her if he this make out session happened? You said it yourself, you wouldn't end it there." Jack inquired.

"Yeah but he says that she's never around. I mean, do you ever see her at the school. I assume she goes to class and I know she come to practice but then she must be hold up in her room or something."

Jack waited to see if Dave would connect the dots but seeing he wasn't making the logical jump, decided to make sure Tom knew that spreading lies would not be tolerated.

"Hey Tom, Dave here was just telling me that you made out with Laura last Thursday night." Jack moved to the mat to stretch and get closer to Tom who was speaking to a few other boys on the team.

"Yeah. It was pretty nice." He said full of bravado.

Jack stifled his chuckles realizing that was proof enough that it never happened. Laura was not someone you would characterize as a pretty nice kisser, she was more of a melt your insides, burn your lips, steals your breath kind of kisser.

"Dave and I were just trying to figure out why you wouldn't try to make something more happen there. I think you should find out why she hasn't mentioned Thursday." Jack pushed a little further.

"I think you should do it Tom. She's the hottest girl on the team, maybe even the entire school." Another guy added.

"Yeah, you're all right. But I don't want to be tied down right now, I want to keep my options open." Jack could see Tom was starting to get nervous about the direction of the conversation.

"You btch!" Came a loud yell from across the pool facility. Caroline was red in the face and staring at Laura.

"I think the sht just hit the fan." Dave muttered.

"What the hell are you talking about?" They heard Laura reply.

"Freestyle is my event, you can't just come in here and take it." She screamed again. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"My times for freestyle are better than yours, how exactly does that make it your event?" Laura folded her arms over her chest.

"Caroline, that is enough. Another word out of you and you're suspend for a week from the pool." Coach Smith intervened.

"Better than mine?" Caroline said incredulously, disregarding the coach's words. "You fcking ingrate. You don't even belong on this team."

Everyone in the surrounding area held their breath as Caroline wound up and punched Laura across the face. A collective gasp went up from the girls while the guy's eyes widen, intrigued.

Despite what looked like a severe hit, Laura remained standing in the same spot, with her arms crossed over her chest, a bruise already beginning to form on her face.

"She didn't even move." Dave watched carefully, committing the entire scene to memory.

"Was that you're best?" They heard Laura say offhandedly.

"She's going to hit her again!" One on the guys whispered, not wanting to be too loud and break the spell.

Instead of seeing Caroline's fist connect with Laura's jaw once again, Laura moved out of the way and followed it with a right hook to Caroline's cheeks. Like a manic, Caroline kept coming at her but Laura's foot encountered the back of her knees, dropping her to the ground where she promptly knocked her onto her stomach, and restrained her from moving further.

"You btch. You broke my nose." She yelled.

"Are you going to play nice or do you still need some time to calm down?" She leaned over her, still holding her arms down.

"I'm going to press assault charges." She continued to bellow.

"You hit me first and tried to hit me again. That's provocation and defensive motivation on my part. You have no grounds for assault, although I do." Her voice dropped to menacing depths.

"Alright Laura, I think she gets it." Coach Smith said. The men watched as Laura released Caroline. "Practice is over for today. Caroline you won't be swimming for the next two weeks, after that I suppose its all contingent on whether Laura presses charges."

"I don't think that will be necessary." Jack smiled slightly, watching a smile light the face he had grown to adore as she spoke the easy words.

"Tom, you have to get with her now. She's is so hot." One of the rookies on the team said in amazement.

"Tom, why don't you just stop lying and admit you never made out with her." Jack rolled his eyes.

"What are you talking about. I did too." Tom countered.

"Really, last Thursday night, downtown." Jack recited to which Tom nodded along. "Interesting how you were with my girlfriend last Thursday night when I was also with her then. One of us must be mistaken but whom?" His sarcasm served to belittle Tom.

"Girlfriend?" Dave asked in confusion. Tom just looked stunned.

"Excuse me." Jack told them, moving a few feet away to where Laura was gathering her things after the very explosive end to their practice. "Hey. That was quite the scene?" He smiled teasingly.

"What, you didn't want to come to my rescue?" She teased back.

"Nice to know self-defense classes actually pay off." He reached up and touched her darkened cheek. "Although they obviously didn't teach you how to duck."

"I just wanted her to hit me so that there was no doubt that she started it." Laura shrugged.

"Does it hurt?" Jack asked, knowing it would.

"This is nothing." She smiled beguilingly. "Why is it that your entire team is watching us?" She glanced over his shoulder.

"Oh that. Well turns out Tom told a few people that he made out with you last Thursday night downtown at a bar. Which is interesting because we fell asleep together at three-thirty in the morning that night and didn't wake up until noon after studying." He paused and looked curiously at her. "You don't have a twin I don't know about do you?"

Her throaty laughter sent amazed looks throughout the guy's team. "No, can't say I do." Taking another peek around him, she saw they still had the attention of everyone. "Now that I think about it, the bruise is starting to hurt. Maybe you can make it better." She said slyly.

"And how do you propose I do that?" Before she could give him an answer, his lips were devouring her. Leaving no question in anyone's mind as to who belonged with whom. When they finally broke apart, he touched her cheek again. "Come on, lets go home and get some ice on the."

As they walked to the door, Jack stopped and turned back his teammates and more specifically Tom.

"Tom, you continue to lie and spread rumors about Laura and what happened to Caroline will look a slap fight, and then Laura will step aside and I'll get my turn." As the couple left the pool, Laura's laughter floated around the rest of the team.

Five days later Laura had told Jack that Caroline had apologized for losing it with her at the pool and starting the fight. There remained no love loss between the two girls but Caroline did manage to remain civil each and every time Irina kicked her ass in the water.

**_End Flashback_**

"Hey Dad, we're all set to go. I don't know about you but I'm anxious to get back to LA." She smiled, hoping to have the Jack Bristow from a week ago back.

"I've got an errand to run for the CIA for the next few days; I won't be returning with you." He stood from his seat.

"Where are they sending you?" Sydney faked a smile.

"Away." Was his only answer. Her face fell slightly but she recovered quickly.

"Okay, well be careful then."

"Sydney." Jack's voice stopped her from walking out of the room. "I'll see you in a few days and take care of your self okay." He told her gently, dropping the ogre act for the first time in five days.

"Love you Dad." Sydney hugged him close.

"I love you too Sweetheart." Jack left the room while Sydney went in search of Marshall.

"Do we have a signal?" She asked when she found him.

"Um, yeah. Listen Syd, I want to help you but ah, well if your Dad finds out, he's going to kill me. Not like a little kill, like a lot. I just- I kinda like being alive so umm, I just need to make sure that my name isn't going to come up should he realize you're following him." Marshall shifted from foot to foot with fear of Jack Bristow's wrath.

"Don't worry Marshall, if he asks I'll just tell him I stole it from you." Sydney reassured.

"That's great. Now that I think about it, why didn't you just- I mean I know you're not like a thief but if you'd stolen it, I wouldn't be part of this whole mess and-"

"Marshall." Sydney interrupted his babbling. "I have to go now. This is the only way to track him right. No one else will be able to." She held up the PDA.

"Yep. Just you and well me if I wanted to cause I know what signal its on but I won't be tracking him. Nope, not me." He held up his hands in silent surrender to her.

"Thanks Marshall."

Now all that was left was to find out what was up with her father and why he lied about having an errand to run for the CIA when he was apparently to get a four day vacation.

**SYROS, GREECE – VILLA**

After three days in the hospital, Irina had been pleased to be allowed to return to her home. She had difficulty containing the chuckle when she thought of the drive back to the villa. Her newest friends, Jordan and Kyle had arrived every morning like clockwork to check on her and on the final day there had been elected to drive her home.

The car had been at the hospital since the boys had driven her there, and appeared excited to get to drive it one more time. Since she had been home, they had only come to check on her once.

Today, she found herself missing Jack more than ever. There was nothing special about the day except that in between her carefully constructed diet and workouts, she felt more lonely than she ever had before and the fear of losing the baby to her carelessness was beginning to catch up with her.

A knock on the front door startled her from her depressing thoughts. Believing it to be her self-appointed guardians, she moved slowly to the door and opened it. Standing on the other side however was the last person she expected to see.

"Jack?" She uttered in disbelief.

"I'm sorry I couldn't get here faster but I was stuck in Turkey. Which seemed to only make it worse considering I was an hour away and still couldn't get to you." He looked her up and down, searching for anything wrong but noticing instead, the growth of her stomach. "Are you okay? They said you were in the hospital."

"I was but Yana took care of me and sent me home three days ago. They? Whose they." She pulled him inside and hugged him close.

"Caroline called me after she received a call from our more than friendly neighbors who also happened to take you to the hospital." Jack breathed her in.

"Jordan and Kyle?" She felt him nod against her, unwilling to let go just yet. "They came by to check on me every day but they never told me they used my emergency cell to call Caroline. Sorry about not telling you about her by the way." Irina kissed the side of his neck

"I suppose I should be angry but you caught me on a good day. I would like to hear the story about how you two became such good friends though, it should be entertaining." He smiled, relieved she was okay.

"Some day I'll tell you. I missed you so much." She whispered.

"What happened? Caroline said you collapsed." Jack pulled away slightly and kissed her gently.

"Exhaustion and anemia. Yana put me on iron supplements and had me rest for a few days. I didn't realize how little sleep I was getting over Sydney's disappearance before it caught up with me." She squeezed his shoulders tightly and looked him in the eye. "She's okay isn't she?"

"Fine. She was with me in Turkey. Sloane has her believing you had an affair with him though. I did finally get her to believe there wasn't any doubt she's my daughter." He added before she could ask.

"I suppose an affair isn't the worst thing she thinks I've done. I 'm just happy she's safe." Irina sighed.

"I think we might have to deal with the fact that the boys who helped you may know more than they should." Jack continued to hold her to him.

"I don't think they'll be a problem. I have a feeling that had they mentioned anything to their housemates, I would have had plenty more visitors."

"Before I leave, I'll have a chat with them just to make sure." Jack kissed her again.

"When do you have to leave again?" She asked suddenly.

"Not for a few days; I don't want to think about that though." He ceased speaking when he felt the baby kick hard between them. "I missed you too little one." He placed a hand on the larger belly.

"Come on Action. I need your help to relax." Irina pulled him along with her as she moved up the stairs.

"Is it safe for us to-" The words died on his tongue with the look she sent him.

Sydney had almost lost track of her father twice with Marshall's little device. He had made four different trips before finally landing in Athens. It wasn't lost on Sydney that it was the city she had seen her mother in not long before.

Her father didn't stay on the mainland for long, opting to fly to one of the larger islands. She had only been able to track him so far as the device couldn't pin down a location smaller than a five-kilometer radius.

Having left the town, she found herself looking for a silver Mercedes that a man matching her father's description had rented only five hours before. She parked her car at the beach and decided to walk around the small village area. It didn't take her long to spot the car with corresponding license plate parked in the driveway along side a its black counterpart.

She checked the front door and found it to be unlocked. Immediately on alert, she removed her gun and slid through the house quietly. Sudden movement in the backyard caught her eye but before she could ascertain its origins a figure was walking into the living room.

"Don't move." She commanded as she raised her gun.

"Sydney." Her mother breathed in surprise.

Seeing her mother standing in front of her just as pregnant as she had been in Athens had Sydney's head whirl. She was clothed in shorts and a tank top, showing her stomach off nicely.

"I said don't move." She restated when Irina took a step in her direction.

"Sydney, put the gun down." Irina spoke with more calm than she felt.

"Where is Dad? What did you do to him? Isn't it enough you destroyed out lives twice, must you do it a third time?"

"Sydney you don't understand, I-" She was interrupted by her gun totting daughter.

"Every little girl wants to believe their mother is perfect, someone to model themselves after but eventually little girls grow up and some have to face the sad truth that their mother is in fact a lying whore." Her grip tighten on the gun but her arms wavered when she saw the stricken look pass over her mother's features.

"Irina, you're supposed to be relaxing." A voice called from upstairs. "Hey Sweetheart, I know you're hungry but I'll get whatever you-"

Sydney's eyes widened at hearing the familiar voice grow closer. "Dad?" She turned her attention to her father, arriving at the bottom of the stairs in little more than boxers and white tank.

"Sydney, what the hell are you doing?"

"I-"

"Put the gun down right now." Jack ordered, taking a step in her direction.

"No body move!" She yelled at him. "I want to know what the hell is going on!" She focused her attention on her father. "What have you done to my father?" She turned her accusing eye back to her mother.

"We'd feel better discussing this with you if you lowered the gun Sydney." Jack tried again; realizing Irina was frozen to her place on the floor.

"And I'd feel better if I knew what I just walked into!" She yelled again.

"Alright then." Jack placated. "Take the gun off your mother and put it on me then." Two sets of chocolate eyes slid to his face. "Your mother's pregnant Sydney. She's not going to be moving too fast in her condition and isn't much of a threat."

He had to quell the urge to roll his eyes at the snort he heard from his wife.

"I-" Sydney started again, looking back and forth between her parents./I

"Sydney, how did you find me?" Jack asked suddenly, his gaze drifting to the front of the house. "Is there anyone else with you?" He shot Irina an apologetic look while their daughter shook her head. "Sydney, you need to tell me if there is anyone else with you." He stated more sternly.

"No. No one else is with me." She whispered. "I stole a tracking device from Marshall and plated it on you in Turkey, then followed you here." Her arm wavered and the gun began to drop. "I thought something was wrong with you. You've been acting so strange lately. I never thought-" She trailed off, turning to soak in her mother's figure. "What are you doing here Dad?" She asked quietly, the gun falling to her side.

"I got a call saying your mother was taken to the hospital. I had to get here as soon as possible." He spoke cautiously.

"You don't seem surprised to see me like this Sydney." Irina seemed to finally find her voice, and moved slowly to place her hands on her stomach.

"I-I saw you a few weeks ago in Athens, buying clothes."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jack asked with a little heat.

Sydney blanched at him. "Are we really going to compare withheld information because I'm betting your lack of disclosure far outweighs mine." Both Jack and Irina flinched at that. "Explain. Now." Sydney said firmly.

"The two weeks your father was on vacation, he was here." Irina spoke softly, not wanting to startle her daughter. "We had some things to discuss."

"Understating must be an acquired talent you both have a taste for." Sydney bit out sharply.

"Your mother contacted me shortly after she discovered she was pregnant." Sydney's eyes returned to her father. "After narrowly escaping Sloane's wrath in Russia, she contacted me again and asked for my help." Jack was suddenly very aware of how exposed he was to his daughter's gaze and fought the urge to cross his arms over his chest defensively.

"So, you decided to help her because she's pregnant?" She huffed. "And this child is what, a product of a rekindled affair between you and Sloane?" She threw snidely at her mother."

"The baby is mine Sydney." Jack set his mouth, waiting for her response.

Realization dawned in Sydney's eyes followed quickly by harsh pity. "Is that what she told you."

"No, that is what the DNA test told me."

"Mom was in custody. Really Dad, we covered the making of a baby in grade nine health class and it just doesn't happen unless-" Both parents watched as their daughter's eyes widened.

"I'm in my twenty-ninth week." She told Sydney simply.

Sydney calculated backward in her head. "Panama. You were both in Panama over seven months ago." Dropping in the overstuffed chair in the living room, Sydney closed her eyes briefly. "While you were there you, I mean you two had…" She floundered for the courage to utter the word.

"Sex." Irina supplied. "Yes, as you previously mentioned, it is a vital part of conception after all." Her teasing lilt went unnoticed by her paling daughter.

"When I saw you in Athens I thought….I mean I didn't really think that…but then-" Sydney shook her head in a fruitless attempt to make sense of the situation.

"Jack, could you go get Sydney a glass of water and some juice for me." Irina asked suddenly. As he walked by her to get to the kitchen she whispered. "And maybe put some clothes on, you're distracting me."

Moving slowly, Irina walked to her daughter's side and took her weapon from her, laying it carefully on the table.

"Sydney, I want you to listen to me." She urged her daughter's head up to look at her. "Before your father and I tell you anything else, you must believe that I never had an affair of any kind with Arvin Sloane." Sydney blinked back the tears the feel of her mother's hands provoked. "I've loved your father as best as I could for thirty years. I'll be the first to admit that it wasn't always enough but it's enough now."

"Don't touch me." She pulled from her mother's grasp sharply, missing the look of despair it inspired on the other woman's face. "I don't know how you managed to blind Dad to your heartless intentions but I'm not going to be as easily swayed as last time."

"All I ask is that you listen to what your father and I have to say." Irina whispered throatily, moving away from her seated daughter.

Jack arrived back in the living room, in khaki shorts made for the golf course and a blue t-shirt. Sydney held the proffered glass of water in her hands hesitantly before taking a nervous sip.

"What could she have possibly said to you to make you forgive her? Or even listen to her for that matter?"

"She said she loves me." Jack said sincerely.

Narrowing her eyes, Sydney assessed the two people before her. "That's a very romantic tale but I'm not five years old and I no longer believe love conquers all."

"I told him the truth. Part of that truth was that I've loved your father for as long as I can remember." Irina reached out to grasp Jack's hand.

"What you love is the way you are able to manipulate him at your every whim. That isn't love, that's a narcissistic psychopath in their most dangerous element."

"You waste so much energy making yourself hate me Sydney. Do you refuse to listen to what we have to tell you because you would prefer to believe what Arvin Sloane spouts or is it that you merely fear the truth with as much fervor as you fear the secretes?" Irina's calm, smooth tone commanded Sydney's attention.

Sydney opened her mouth to retort but was cut off by her father, not wanting his daughter to deepen the hole she was digging for herself.

"When your mother escaped in Panama, it was in the effort to infiltrate Sloane's operation and retrieve all the Rambaldi pieces he had acquired. The ones that she contributed to the partnership were all forgeries of the originals, made just before your mother had them destroyed." Jack explained succinctly. "When she vanished in Mexico City, she took Sloane's half of the Rambaldi collection with her, leaving him with the fakes."

"So you're now in possession of all of Rambaldi's works." Sydney nodded along with barely disguised anger surging threw her.

"Within a week, any precious stones or metals from the pieces were disassembled and sold while the rest of the collection was destroyed. If Rambaldi's works had survived, they would have haunted you for the rest of your life." Irina jumped in.

"And you expect me to believe that." Sydney's brow furrowed and her lips set themselves in a pout.

"I expect you to believe whatever you want to believe but bare in mind that Sloane kidnapped you to draw me out. Why would he suddenly want me dead at all costs, including your life; a life he mistakenly thinks he had a part in making." Jack was aware of the subtle changes in Irina, telling him that the conversation and endless refutes were trying her patience.

"You knew Sloane had me, but you weren't going to show up." Sydney put together, not sure whether she was angry or saddened by the thought.

"Your father would never have forgiven me for putting myself in danger while pregnant. I responded to Sloane's message and set up a meet before relaying the information to Jack. Sloane was not expecting a CIA ambush because no one would believe I would cooperate with them." Irina squeezed Jack's hand tighter, hoping they were getting through to her.

"You sent Daddy to get me." Sydney said quietly. At her parents' quick nods she felt the tears forming in her eyes.

"Sydney, your mother has a great deal more to explain but you must understand that all of your preconceptions will be challenged. Although gravely understated, the best term to describe your mother is; misunderstood." Neither Jack nor Irina could help the upturn of their lips at his comment.

Silence engulfed the room while Sydney made the ultimate choice of whether to stay and listen further or walk out the door.

"You're pregnant." She finally breathed, glancing at her mother's straining stomach in awe. "I saw you in Athens but it didn't really register. You're having a baby." She sighed deeply.

Sydney stood; taking the two steps needed to bring her in front of her mother. "How did this happen?" She missed the look of playful shock her parents shared. Both deciding their daughter's acceptance of the situation was still debatable, thus foregoing the joke sitting on the tip of their respective tongues.

"It's apparently not as startlingly uncommon as most would think. But that didn't exactly prepare me for the news." Irina continued to speak in her honeyed tones, allowing for the words to go no further than the three adults standing in the living room.

"I thought maybe you were just faking, for an alias. I wasn't sure whether this was really happening when I saw you in that store." Sydney whispered.

"Give me your hand." Irina ordered gently. Reluctantly, Sydney raised her hand and allowed her mother to take it, placing it at the side of her large abdomen. The moment her hand got settled against the surface, she felt the movement beneath.

Jack watched with love and fascination as mother and daughter experienced the sensations together. Sydney's face softened as the last of the fight drained from her while Irina wore a soft smile, still holding her daughter's hand against the motions of her sibling.

"Boy or girl?" Sydney finally spoke.

"Monkey."

"Jack, I will not permit you to call our child a monkey." Irina pursed her lips in mock dismay.

"But you-" he cut himself off, catching the laughter dancing in her eyes.

"So what is it?" Keen young eyes asked.

"Irina? Are you here? Why is the door open?" A voice called from the front foray.

Sydney tensed under Irina's hand, no doubt calculating how quickly she could reach her gun.

"I told you they were like clockwork Jack." Irina smiled wider.

"Are you okay in here Irina, the door was-" Kyle trailed off when he saw that their patient had company.

"Jack! You finally made it." Jordan breathed a sigh of relief.

"Jordan and Kyle." Jack moved away from his wife and daughter to shake hands with the young men. "Boys, thank you for taking care of Irina while I was gone. I'm not sure if you'll ever understand how much I appreciate the time you took to help her and the baby." His warm smile put both boys at ease; pleased with the praise they had earned.

"It was really nothing. We just wanted to make sure she was alright. We were glad we could help." Kyle said enthusiastically.

"Imagine my surprise when I opened my door today and found my husband standing on the other side. You two have been to see me every day since I was admitted to the hospital and you didn't once mention that you had left a message for Jack." Irina raised her eyebrows and smiled, to let them know she was only kidding.

"We didn't want to get your hopes up in case the lady we talked to couldn't get a hold of him or he just couldn't get back." Jordan explained with a shy shrug. Both boys noticed the back of someone else in the room. "Sorry, we didn't mean to interrupt. We'll come back another time." They started to turn for the door.

"Boys, I'd like to introduce you to our daughter Sydney. Sydney, these are the boys who helped out your mother when she was ill last week. Jordan and Kyle." Jack spoke pointedly to his daughter, hoping to get her to relax and turn around.

As Sydney turned to face both the boys, she plastered a smile on her face that didn't resemble anything genuine. "Nice to meet you Jordan, Kyle." She spoke politely.

With wide eyes, the boys took in the sight that was Jack and Irina's daughter.

"Nice to meet you Kyle, my name is Sydney." Kyle said, turning a deep shade of red. "I mean nice to meet you Sydney." He finally got out.

"Oh yeah, gotta be a spy." Jordan said under his breath, but loud enough to turn four startled sets of eyes his way.

**TBC**


	34. Chapter 34

**SYROS, GREECE**

Irina glanced up from the sandwich she was making to look at Jack when he arrived in the kitchen.

"How are you doing?" He stood beside her at the counter.

"Better now that our daughter no longer has a gun pointed at my head."

"It's unfortunate I didn't have a camera; that was definitely one for the Bristow family album." Jack's impish grin got him a glare from Irina.

"I took a mental note." She finished preparing her sandwich and began putting items away. "What is she doing now?"

"Likely debating with herself over whether to call Vaughn or not." He shrugged.

"We both know she won't call him. She'll come down in a little while, sulk and pout for most of the day before she lets loose her barrage of questions. Her methods haven't changed in the twenty years I've been absent." Irina replied smugly.

"I suppose we should carry on with our day as though she isn't here." Jack watched Irina stare at her food unfavorably.

"I'm not hungry any more. Do you want this?" She held out the sandwich to him.

"No thank you. Put it in the fridge for later; you'll be hungry again soon." Jack dodged the chunk of cheese she threw at him.

"Pregnant women have healthy appetites." Their voices echoed off the walls of the kitchen.

"I know. I'm just pleased to see you eating." Jack pulled Irina close to him. "I remember when you were pregnant with Sydney you had no appetite for a week or two."

"Not a time I like to remember." She said with a groan.

"Me either." Jack pulled her even closer.

"What?" She asked when she felt his arms tighten around her.

"Nothing, I just want to hold you close for a bit. I missed having you in my arms." 

**_FLASHBACK_**

"Laura, where's my blue tie?" Jack called from the bedroom of their apartment.

"It's hanging over the arm of the chair." Her answer came from the office beside their room.

"Not that one." Jack shook his head to an invisible audience. "The one with the grey stripes."

"Check the hook on the back of the closet door." Her response was muffled by the sound of papers being shuffled.

Jack pulled open the door to the closet, finding the aforementioned tie hanging with innocent abandon.

"Found it." He called in way of thanks, and placed the tie in the suitcase on the bed and zipped it up.

"Here," Irina handed him at stack of paper over an inch thick. "Some light reading for your trip."

"Another two hundred pages? How long is your thesis now anyway?" Jack tried to hide the grimace at having to read and critic her work. He had thought he was helping her when he edited what she had given him to read the first time. Instead, that resulted in an uproarious fight and silence from her for three days. The second section she had given him to read was completed with no corrections at all, resulting in another fight that he was not being honest about her work and that his misplaced kindness would never earn her a PhD.

"Eight hundred pages." She smiled with pride. "I should have more for you to read when you get home." 

"I'm only going to be gone for three days. Don't work too hard while I'm gone." Irina watched as he finished getting dressed for his trip.

"I've only got two lectures this week and their both prepared. Tutorials haven't started up again so I've got plenty of time to work without driving myself into the ground."

"When's your next check up?" Jack asked.

"Thursday. You're such a worrier Jack. I'm fine and so is the baby." She placed her hand on the five month swell of their child for emphasis.

"Where are you going this time?" Irina followed him to the front door to wait for the car to pick him up.

"Laos." He looked out the window, checking for the car. "We're working with the refugees to determine the situation in Cambodia and the impact it will have on Vietnam."

"Then you've got more than enough time on the flight to read the rest of my thesis." Her upturned lips rested on his in a quick kiss. "Is it dangerous?" Irina sobered suddenly.

"No, of course not." Jack's reply did nothing to calm the nervousness Irina had eventually conceded to during every operational departure.

"Well, be careful anyway. I don't plan on giving birth to this baby without you to scream at."

"Yes, that would be a travesty." Pulling her into a hug, Jack missed the unease in his wife's dark eyes. "I'll be back on Tuesday."

A honk sounded outside the building drawing the two apart. "That's you're car, you better go. I love you." She kissed him once more.

"Love you too. Tuesday." Jack picked up his suit and brief cases and left.

**_THE NEXT DAY_**

"Class next week will be spent discussing colloquial writing and their impacts on society. Remember to have The Bluest Eye read and notes completed. Have a pleasant afternoon everyone." Irina placed her lecture notes in her briefcase.

"Mrs. Bristow, I'm having difficulty pinning down the motivator of my protagonist for my term paper. Would you be able to run through my notes with me?"

Irina glanced up to find one of her young female students shifting nervously from foot to foot in front of her. Teaching a first year class hadn't been her first choice but she found herself pleased with the students' more energetic spirits and innocence in their writing.

"Patricia Scott, correct?" The girl nodded in agreement. "Ms. Scott, my office hours are as posted in the course syllabus and I will maintain those hours until the beginning of April when I begin my maternity leave. If you have any questions with regard to your term paper, you are welcome to stop by my office Wednesday afternoon."

"Thank you Professor." The girl scurried off.

Checking her watch, Irina realized the time and hurriedly wrapped her body in her coat. 

She arrived at the hotel with a few minutes to spear before her meeting and after giving herself the once over, she climbed from the car. The occupant of the room was making noise as she approached the door, knocking thoughtfully against its surface. As soon as the door opened, she slipped inside.

"Hello Ms. Derevko." The other occupant spoke with a thinly veiled Russian accent. He was new and obviously not as well trained as their earlier agents.

"Sir." She nodded in his direction. "It's freezing in here." Her arms crossed in front of her defensively.

"The heating has been out for the entire day in the hotel. You're coat is better left on, if you intend to stay warm."

"Yes Sir." Irina turned her back to the man, sharing a secret smile with the window.

"Comrade Khasinau is interested to know what new information you have for us." He paused and thought for a moment. "It has been three months since you last reported to us."

"I brought with me theories Jack has been working on in relation to Project Christmas. They are all on this film." She pulled the film from her bag and handed it to her handler. "Jack told me about his last two missions; they were both successes. The first was in Romania at a factory along the boarder."

"We know of that incident. The damage has already been done to the munitions factory." He interrupted.

"The second was in North Korea on a search and seizure of two unexploded missiles off the Korean coast." Irina leaned against the room's desk while she relayed the stale information.

"What was in the missiles?"

"Agent Bristow wouldn't share that information with me. I have suspicions but then I'm sure our superiors have their own." She eyed the man knowingly.

"Da." His response straightened Irina's spine.

"I've never had the opportunity to conduct business with you Sir." The final word from her lips was spoken with bitterness. "The slight accent you possess means you obviously have only recently arrived in the country but that does not account for the fact that no agent would risk their careers by so blatantly disregarding the rules. When you are here in this country or even in this room, you do not speak in the native tongue. Slips such as those will surely find you dead."

"Of course." The man nearly sneered at her. "They were right when they said that you were a natural at this."

"Are we done here? I have a façade to maintain." Irina strode to the door before waiting for her handler's response.

"Jack Bristow left for what I assume to be an operation yesterday. Where did he go and why didn't you feel it was prudent you impart such information to me?" The man's easy smile turned sour.

Thinking quickly, Irina feed him a line. "The mission was sudden and Jack didn't seem too interested in talking about it before he left. I gave him a fairly large portion of my thesis to read while he's on the plane and he said he would have plenty of time to read it. Based on that comment and the clothes he took with him, I have narrowed down the places he is likely to go. I would guess Asia; likely Vietnam or Taiwan. I didn't feel it was 'prudent' because nothing is factual, merely conjecture on my part."

"Good work." Her handler made coded notes in a file, dismissing her. "Our next meeting will be in two months time, same day and location unless you hear differently from us."

"Thank you and goodbye Sir." After the door shut behind her, she allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief for making it out of that meeting with so few questions and little time spent. The handlers they were sending her continued to get dumber and inexperienced as the years passed, it often made her wonder what state the great Soviet Union truly found themselves in. 

Tuesday came and went with no contact from Jack. Irina suppressed her worry in favour of pounding out page after page of her paper, determined to finish it before the arrival of the baby. But by Thursday morning, the two sleepless nights had begun to catch up with her, in spite of herself.

Irina's doctor noticed the difference in her patient immediately; the dark circles set off by the ashen colour of her face made her appear haggard.

"Mrs. Bristow, everything looks good here." He said after making a note in her file. "However I'm concerned that you aren't eating enough and you obviously aren't sleeping well."

Irina looked at her doctor, not trying to mask her fatigue. His white hair made him appear older than she assumed he was while his beard and glasses gave the comforting feeling of a grandfather figure.

"My husband is away on business; I find I have trouble sleeping when I'm alone at home." Her reply was met by an understanding nod by her doctor.

"Do you have someone to come and stay with you while Mr. Bristow is away? It may ease some of the tension you are harboring. I don't like to see my patients so uneasy."

"Thank you for your concern Dr. Holmes but Jack is due back any time now and he's requested fewer trips so he is here when the baby arrives." Irina's fingers pulled at each other in a desperate attempt to maintain her decorum in front of her doctor. The last thing she needed was for this man to declare her unstable.

"Alright, well I'd like you to make sure you're eating three meals a day and you should be trying to get as much sleep as possible whether it's during the day or at night." Dr. Holmes smiled at her reassuringly.

"I teach classes some days, but I promise to try sleeping more at night." Irina stood, smiling in return with as much false hope as she could.

"If it feels like too much let me know and I'll give you a doctor's note for work. I'm sure your students wouldn't mind a few days to catch up on the work they've been avoiding." This time the smile she sent him was a little more genuine. "I'll see you again in two months."

Irina nodded and left the office feeling better than when she had entered. But it didn't last long. At six, between trying to swallow mouthfuls of soup and deciding how to tie the third and forth sections of her paper together, the phone rang.

"Hello." She spoke after wrenching the receiver from the wall.

"I'm looking for Mrs. Bristow." The man on the other end told her.

"Speaking." Irina placed the phone between her ear and shoulder as she began searching through the cupboards for crackers of some kind.

"Mrs. Bristow, my name is Hubert Morrison. I work with your husband." Later, Irina would have claimed it wasn't his words but the way he said them that stopped her cold.

When he received no response from the other end of the phone, Hubert continued speaking.

"Mrs. Bristow, I regret to inform you that your husband missed his rendezvous to return to the states and has not made any contact with us for the passed four days. He is missing and presumed…"

"I would hope that you wouldn't presume anything where my husband is concerned." Her harsh voiced simmered with rage. "Next time I speak to you Mr. Morrison, you best be informing me that my husband has been found and is on his way home and I would expect you would have to decency to do it in person and not so cowardly over the phone." Irina hung up on the man.

Without the pretense of thought she picked up the knife on the counter, and hurled it across the room, skillfully imbedding the fine blade in the wood frame of the doorway. "You better get your ass back here Jack because if you think for a second that I'm going to have this baby without you, you aren't nearly as smart as I've given you credit for." She said to no one.

Four more days passed free of hunger, sleep and most importantly, word of Jack. On the forth day, Irina dragged herself from bed in order to attend her own lecture. Winter's dreary sky met her as she exited the building, solidifying her pitiful mood. Refusing to acknowledge her sadness and fear seemed only to anchor her anger at Jack for leaving her in the painful vacillation between hope and devastation.

"…and the oppression was apparent in her constant reference to blue eyes. The use of slang and colloquialisms by the author are to make the reader see the educational limits of the society the young girl grew up in. She wants to better herself by having blue eyes and rebel against the oppression. "

Irina nodded her head along to the student's interpretation, allowing her to finish before commenting on the answer. The student in question was known to nit-pick her teaching methods and had even had the gall to attempt to correct in the middle of the class.

"Thank you Tara." She paused, watching a self-satisfied grin settle over the girl's features. "At the beginning of the year I promised I would never tell you an interpretation of literature was wrong. I lied. While highly entertaining, you're answer was so completely off base that I have no choice but to bring it to the attention of the entire class Miss. Hardwick." The smile quickly fled from Tara's lips as Irina addressed her. Had it been any other day with any other circumstances she may not have been so harsh with the girl, but at her wit's end, Tara made a lovely target. "I'm not entirely sure you were reading the same book as us Miss. Hardwick; however, if you were, I suggest you read it again and this time ensure no one has spiked your drink before hand."

The class snickered not even trying to suppress their laughter. Leaning against the desk at the bottom of the lecture hall, Irina examined her students, taking careful notice of the outrage on Tara Hardwick's face.

"It is important to remember that the meaning you seek within literary works is not always buried. Toni Morrison was using colloquialisms to create the atmosphere in the story. It is unlikely that farmers and mill workers in the south who were provided the 'limited education' used the English language with grammatical perfection. Especially knowing that even many of you, haven't managed to accomplish that feat." She sighed at the lack of understanding on the faces in the room.

"Miss. Hardwick believes our young protagonist wishes to 'better herself'; can anyone tell me, at the most basic level, what Pecola wants?" 

A boy in the second row bit his lip, seemingly gathering his courage before opening his mouth. "Blue Eyes."

"Pardon?" Irina looked at him.

"She wanted blue eyes." He repeated.

"Ah, Mr. Scott, thank you for disproving my theory that you had all fallen asleep with your eyes open." Irina paced slowly in front of the desk, mindful of how every eye drifted to her abdomen every few minutes. "Can anyone tell me what the blue eyes represent to the Pecola?" Silence. It seemed her students weren't even breathing audible today. "The blue eyes are a representation of the white race." Realization began to dawn in the eyes following her. "So Miss. Hardwick, is Pecola going to 'better herself' by becoming white?"

The gaze in the room quickly shifted to Tara who suddenly had a look of fear on her face. "That isn't what I meant when I said…"

"That's what I thought." Irina interrupted. "This class was supposed to focus on the language usage in the book; however, Miss Hardwick has opened an issue I believe we should discuss. Did Pecola decide one day that she wanted to be white or was there a catalyst?" Not response. "Come on, don't be shy now." Irina urged.

"The doll had blue eyes." Jenny Porter answered.

"Absolutely Miss Porter." Irina smiled; pleased she was getting some response from her class. "Pecola saw the doll as beautiful, luxurious and special, all attributes she wished others recognized in her. That is what the story is about ladies and gentlemen. But there is a deeper social meaning Miss. Hardwick." She nodded in the general direction of the student. "The commodification of culture: treating culture as a commodity; meaning the corporations dictating our cultural expectations. There was no doll available for Pecola to play with that had dark skin, dark hair and brown eyes; the company that made the doll was therefore only providing one option of what was acceptable as beautiful."

"Are you saying that our choices are dictated to us?" One of the young men in the class called out.

"I'm saying that this country has become dependent on its commodities to express social norms." She paused, trying to rearrange her thoughts and theory to help them understand. "Take soap for example: how many different kinds of soap do you find at the store?"

"Five or six." Irina wasn't sure where the answer came from. "But if there are five or six, we don't all buy the same one so we're different. Not only 1 soap is acceptable." The voice was located in the back corner as one of the male track runners.

"You're correct. You can go into the store and have your choice of many kinds of soap, but eventually you have to choose one because the option of going without soap is socially unacceptable." She loved the moment when it all seemed to click into place for the students. "It is merely a theory; I would ask that none of you attempt to disprove it my foregoing soap next week." She smiled disarmingly, getting a laugh from her students.

The door to the lecture hall opened to admit a sullen man in a dark suit. Irina's smile vanished and her lungs fought for another breath. The bell rang but the students remained seated, waiting for the final words from their teacher.

"Um…uh…remember to review all three short stories by Steinbeck, there will be a quiz on two next week and don't try to guess the questions and only read two. Have a good afternoon."

The stampede of bodies slowed at the door, examining the unknown man with wary interest; few of the male students hung by the doorway, not liking the look of the newcomer. 

"Mrs. Bristow." The man addressed her. "That was quite the lecture."

"Hubert Morrison." She would have smiled had her heart not been halfway up her throat. The boys left, knowing the man was not a stranger to their professor. "You found him." She whispered.

"Yes." He gave nothing else away for which Irina was moments from injuring him.

"And is he…"

"He's being treated at Bethesda as we speak." Hubert interrupted.

"What happened?" She turned to her desk and rushed to put her things together.

"I'm affaid I'm not at liberty to-"

"I don't want particulars about where and how. I just want to know what is wrong with my husband." Her honeyed voice turned steely, stopping Hubert cold. Jack's wife was turning out to be more than formidable.

"A few knife wounds and one serious stab as well as a gun shot wound. The prognosis is good." He added as a second thought, watching her grab her belongings and turn to the door. "Where are you going?" He called after her.

"To see my husband." Her annoyed eye roll was hidden from the man with her turned back.

"Do you think that's a good idea in you condition?" He ran to catch up with her.

"I'm pregnant, not ill. Thank you for having the courteous to tell me in person." She offered before opening the door that lead to the parking lot.

"You sounded like you meant business on the phone and I didn't want to risk it." He cracked an uncomfortable smile.

**_BETHESDA HOSPITAL, MARYLAND_**

The nurse looked up as a stunning however hurried woman walked into the hospital. Her seeking eyes locked with the ones staring at her from behind the desk as she made her way over.

"Can I help-" The nurse could not finish her sentence for the woman was already speaking.

"I'm looking for my husband. He was brought in today, Jack Bristow." The woman's hands splayed out on the desk in front of the nurse as though offering a plea to give her the information quickly.

Looking up the name in her check-in book, the nurse figured she might as well get the protocols out of the way. "And you are?"

"Laura, his wife." The nurse looked up when she caught a slight breathlessness to the woman's words. Her once golden skin was ashen and drawn, as though there was effort in standing upright.

"Are you alright Ma'am?" The nurse began to stand from her seat to move to the woman.

"I'm fine I just need to….." She caught her breath enough to continue. "I'm feeling a little dizzy and my legs are shaky." Before either knew what had happened, the nurse was around the desk and to the woman's side, seating her and calling for a doctor. Laura's hands moved over her stomach, soothing the life inside.

"I don't need a doctor…. I just need to see my husband….please I don't-" Laura passed out at the admittance desk, it wouldn't be the first time someone had.

**_END FLASHBACK_**

"I didn't mean for you to be at my bedside when you got back." Irina smiled into Jack's shoulder, still held tightly in his arms.

"Stress accompanied by malnutrition and extreme fatigue." Jack quoted from memory. "I get back from a mission where I was shot and stabbed to find out my wife is in the same hospital. I was so anxious I'm surprised I didn't reopen my stitches trying to get to you."

"Oh poor Jack. It was a just a superficial gunshot wound and only a nick to your femoral artery."

"Just? If I remember correctly, which we both know I do, you were far more concerned at the time." Jack pulled her away from him slightly to look at her.

"Like you said I was stressed, fatigued and malnourished; I obviously wasn't thinking clearly." Irina smiled.

"Thank you for the concern." Jack's frown caused Irina's smile to broaden.

"I was only in that state because I was worried about you." She reassured needlessly.

"This is twice I've return to you either in hospital or recovering, please try to avoid the aforementioned conditions in the near future." Jack kissed her lovingly.

"I promise I'll try." They stepped away from each other to putter around the kitchen. "So, Sydney…" Irina began.

"Will experience a revelation over the next few days, the only question is whether she'll relax enough to enjoy it or have us committed." Jack finished.

"Oh, a padded cell could be fun if we were together." Both grinned at Irina's gutter bound thoughts.

"What's for dinner tonight?" Jack leaned against the counter, waiting for his question to be answered.

"Whatever you're cooking." Irina smiled brightly.

"Let's go out." The words were followed by his obvious grimace. "I'll go tell Sydney."

"Tell Sydney what?" Sydney appeared in the door way of the kitchen.

"That your father has decided he wants to go out for dinner. We'll go get dressed for dinner and leave in an hour." Irina spoke decisively. 

"I think I'll stay here." Sydney nearly growled at her mother.

"Suit yourself." Irina left the kitchen, moving gracefully up the stairs.

"There isn't any point in you being here if you're not going to give her a chance Sydney." Jack set his face.

"I'm not here to give her a chance. I'm here to keep an eye on you; she is obviously drugging you or something equally as sadistic, to keep you here."

Jack let her words rush over him before replying. "I have given you orders as both your father and your superior; I have done things that affected you without your permission and I have disciplined you when you have not done what is asked of you. Today you are hearing my one and only plea; give your mother a chance Sydney, she will surprise you."

"Of that I have no doubt." Her brow furrowed and her eyes darkened.

"I'll not ask again. I just want you to know how important it is to me and although though she pretends not to let it faze her, it's important to your mother as well." Jack moved to leave the room.

"Fine, I'll come to dinner but it doesn't mean I want to listen to her lies." Sydney very nearly stomped her foot as a child would to make their point.

"Be ready in an hour. Your mother waits for no one." A tiny smile graced Jack's lips before the reality of dinner with his wife and their less than enthusiastic daughter sunk in. "I'll have to ask the staff to remove all the knives at the table." He muttered under his breath.

Dusk rolled in by eight, fighting a losing the battle with the black sky. Artificial light gleamed from the villa's master bedroom where Jack was threading a belt through his pant loops. He watched in amusement as Irina's largely pregnant form carefully maneuvered the bathroom, closet and makeup table.

"Irina, you don't have to rush. We'll get there when we get there." Jack called soothingly.

"I'm rushing because I'm hungry. Had you not distracted me, I would be ready to go."

"Your protests are coming an hour late Dear." Jack smiled indulgently. "Despite what you believe, I can keep my hands to myself where you're concerned."

"This says differently." Irina laid a hand on her bare stomach as she walked from the bathroom to the main area. The only garments covering her body were white Capri pants and a light blue satin bra, barely able to restrain her ample breasts. Grabbing a top off the bed, she caught her reflection in the mirror. "Pregnancy is the best thing to ever happen to my breast." She commented offhandedly, lifting the weightier mounds in either hand.

"And here I thought that was me." Jack stepped behind her, placing a quick kiss on her shoulder before continuing into the closet.

"Jack, put your ego away before it blinds me." Rolling her eyes, Irina pulled the top over her head. Its spaghetti straps and empire waist displayed her favorite new assets while doing its best to mask the greatness of her belly; its length falling two inches over the top of her pants.

"Stunning." Jack watched her from the doorway of the closet. "You wear pregnancy like most women where silk." 

"How do I wear silk then?" Irina smiled seductively.

"That is a question for a time when you're not urgently hungry." They shared a sweet kiss before pulling back.

"Let's find grumpy and go." Her words got a low chuckle from Jack.

In the room across the hall, Sydney had found a dress her mother left out for her to wear. She waged an internal battle over whether put on a dress Irina Derevko owned or go for dinner in the cloths she had brought with her, none of which suited the climate. After staring at the bright blue and green sun dress for a long while, she pulled it on, finding it fit as though it had been made for her. She decided to stay in her room and wait for her dinner companions.

"Sydney, are you ready?" Jack knocked lightly.

"Yeah Dad." She answered and opened the door.

"You look lovely Sweetheart." Jack nodded with a hint of a smile.

"Uh…thanks Dad." Sydney's surprise at the compliment made Jack pause in regret that she was unused to hearing such things from him.

Walking down the stairs, Sydney wracked her brain trying to determine what was different about her father. Something in the way he walked was no longer as stilted or abrupt; he was relaxed for the first time since Sydney could remember.

"Alright, let's go." Irina picked up her shoulder purse and keys, walking out the door.

"Do you want me to drive?" Jack asked her. She inclined her head as though to think about it then tossed him the keys to the Mercedes.

"I suppose if Jordan and Kyle can drive my car you can too." Three car doors closed as they got into the roofless vehicle.

"You let the kids who were here earlier drive your car?" Sydney was still trying to get a handle on the events of the day and the subsequent situation she found herself.

"I didn't let them. They took it without asking."

"And you haven't shot them yet?" Sydney's response got a discrete eye roll from her mother.

"When I collapsed on the beach they figured the fastest way to get me to the hospital was by my own car. I'd rather buy them a car of their own than shoot them."

"Why did you collapse?" Sydney allowed her curiosity to rule for a moment, hoping to ignore the sudden increase in heart rate at hearing her mother had been taken to the hospital.

"Anemia and fatigue; I hadn't been sleeping well." Irina's answers were designed to ensure her daughter wouldn't think she had been searching for her sympathy.

"When was this?" Sydney didn't pay any attention to where they were headed, focusing on analyzing her mother's words instead.

"Last week." The rest of the drive was silent as Sydney could not seem to ask the multitude of questions she had pertaining to her mother's final answer.

Diesel wafted through the air as they parked on the pier of the town. They walked to a restaurant boosting seats across the road from the building, against the water. The noise of the busy port town effortlessly drowned out the silence of the Bristow's table.

With their orders taken and no other excuse to bury their heads in menus, Sydney felt suddenly exposed. It was a bazaar sensation to be seated at a table with two strangers who looked more familiar to her than anyone on the planet. She spent a few minutes staring at the boats as they rocked against the edge of the port, clinging to the few coherent thoughts she could muster.

"Are either of you going to explain or are we just going to sit here pretending nothing is unusual about this?" Sydney motioned to the table.

"This isn't anything unusual for your father and me Sydney." Irina looked at her daughter from the other side of the table.

"How long has this been going on? I mean the two of you." Sydney glanced sideways to check the surrounding tables.

"Since the two weeks I took vacation in July." Jack appeared unaffected by her questions.

"My mortification at the spectacle the two of you are putting on hasn't affected my mathematic skills. So either your little…freak show goes back farther or you've finally lost your mind Dad."

"Panama." Irina supplied for her daughter. "It was only one night and your father had less than noble intentions." Irina touched her chest. "But our actions had lasting affects."

Sydney's jaw clenched as she took in a centering breath through her nose. She didn't want to dwell on the intimidating picture her parents made, sitting united across from her.

"And how do you-"

Jack cut her off. "Paternity test." He avoided looking at Irina. "I'm not sure whether to be impressed with how highly you regard your mother's manipulative abilities or insulted with your implications that I'd be unable to recognize such a ploy."

"I don't know what to believe anymore. I feel like I'm loosing my mind while you two just sit there and act like we're a normal family."

"I don't think we're in danger of becoming normal Sweetheart." Irina allowed her lips to turn up for the first time that evening.

Sydney threw her mother a look between frustrated and disgusted, making the tentative smile on the older woman's lips disappear.

"Am I just supposed to forget that you've ripped apart countless lives, including my own. Because I can't do that. Every time I look at Vaughn I'm reminded of the destruction you're capable of."

"You've hesitated to call the CIA and report my location. Why is that?" Irina tilted her head a degree to the left.

"The same reason I didn't report your location when I saw you in Athens a few weeks ago." Sydney took a sip of the drink the server had just placed on the table while Jack and Irina shared a surprised glance. "I'm not sure what I should think about the two of you….doing what you…did in Panama." 

"I'm more interested in learning why you didn't turn your mother in." Jack placed her on the defensive.

Sydney remained silent, weighing what she was going to say. "I suppose in some ways I felt sympathetic. I grew up not knowing my mother and I didn't want the guilt of allowing someone else to grow up that way." Sail boats rocking against the docks became the dominant sound at the table. "Aren't you a little old to be pregnant?" 

"You would think. But it turns out your father is very virile." For a split second Sydney appeared as though she would vomit.

"Irina." Jack gave her a warning.

"So let me get this straight. You and Dad were…together in Panama before you betrayed us, for the second time. Then you find out you're pregnant and supposedly leave Sloane behind, retiring from the business and your organization." Sydney's sarcastic assumptions went unanswered while they waited for their server to leave their food.

"I never said I retired from my organization." Irina raised her eyebrows. "I had to relocate for my own safety but I still run my business."

"Then maybe you don't know this but Sloane is dismantling your holdings one by one." Sydney seemed to enjoy the thought.

"Sloane is doing exactly what I expected him to do." Irina said nothing further on the matter and no mount of coaxing could get her to respond to Sydney's questions.

"Is Yana back on the island?" Jack changed the subject.

"Yes. I see her tomorrow to check my iron levels." The couple carried on a conversation as though Sydney was not sitting with them.

"What about Helen and Peter?"

"They arrived back yesterday morning. I had tea with her; you should give Peter a call tomorrow." Irina looked back and forth between her plate and Jack.

"Who are Yana, Peter and Helen?" Sydney finally asked, never having liked when her parents were talking about something she didn't understand.

"Yana is my doctor and a friend from Russia." Irina shrugged.

"Peter and Helen are….friends of ours on the island. They recently got back from New York." Jack explained. "They have a home there." He added as an afterthought.

Sydney shook her head. "This is insane. Absolutely insane. This isn't happening. We're not sitting here talking about this right now. I-I've finally lost my mind. Or the two of you have or… or something."

The remainder of the meal stupefied Sydney as her parents continued their conversation, trying to include her every so often but earning only an incredulous stare from their child. Irina did her best to appear unaffected by Sydney's reaction to her relationship with Jack; however, the façade was beginning to wear on her already tired and frayed nerves.

"I think it's about time we headed home. You're still on restricted activity." Jack stood, holding Irina's chair out for her larger form.

"It has been an eventful day." She conceded with a wistful smile.

On the way home Sydney caught herself laughing at her parent's argument over what turn they had to take to return them to the house. Her father finally gave in to her mother's veteran knowledge of the landscape, pulling into the driveway a few minutes later.

The large wooden door to the house provided the gateway between fantasy and reality for Sydney, realizing she would be spending the night under the same roof as two people responsible for the majority of turmoil in her life.

"I'm not going to lie to Vaughn." Sydney said suddenly.

Her parents paused in the living room. "But you did lie to him before you came here. Or at least I assume, considering I haven't known Vaughn to let you man a personal crusade on your own. What did you tell him? That I invited you along?" There was no response from the guilty looking young woman. "You'll lie to Vaughn when it suits you but won't when it means the safety of your mother."

"I am not playing the bad guy here. You two have lied to me for the past seven months and would have continued had I not caught you." She paused, glaring at her mother. "And who or what could possibly put you in danger? I'm not worried," She addressed Irina. "You always manage to land on your feet… or at least your back. I'm sure there's no danger that a good fck wouldn't get you out of. But I suppose you've spread your legs one too many times and have cut off your nose to spite your face. I doubt many would be interested now." She gestured to Irina's stomach.

"Sydney-"

"Quiet Jack. I don't need anyone fighting my battles for me." Irina took a deep breath, clenching her jaw. "I'm sorry you feel your life has been a disaster Sydney and I will spend the rest of mine trying to make amends for the role I played but don't think for a second that it gives you the right to come into my home with your self-righteous attitude and insult me." With movement smoother than most, pregnant or not, Irina was in front of Sydney. "You listen to me; you've deluded yourself into believing humanity lives by the principles of black and white and right and wrong with you always on the side of right. Do not forget for a moment that I am still your mother and whether or not you feel I'm deserving of your respect on that account, I surely do on my merits as a woman with far more experience and understanding than you could ever hope to possess. I've put up with the subtle and not so subtle remarks that I owe you any more than my love and respect. I'm breaking the cycle; I will not continue to allow the guilt to dominate my life, so you can keep your tasteless comments to yourself unless you're positive you know what you're doing. If you want to fight like an adult than you best be prepared for the adults to begin fighting back. Go on believing what ever the hell you want little girl because I certainly don't need validation from someone as small as you."

Sydney felt a lump form in her throat and her cheeks flush as each word slid with razor like sharpness from her mother's mouth. A scolding by her mother had reduced her to a six year old girl, knowing she had taken one too many liberties with her mother's patience. But as quickly as the tirade had begun, it ended faster with Irina stalking up the stairs to the sanctuary of her bedroom. There was no slamming of the door, merely the calm following the preverbal storm. At least until Sydney looked in her father's direction.

"I don't think I've ever been so thankful your mother missed your teenaged years or disappointed in you." Jack's tone held none of his earlier good-humour. "Are you pleased with yourself Sydney? You finally got the fight you've been looking for all night."

"I wasn't-"

"Yes you were." Jack insisted, a twinge of defeat coloring his words. "You're mother is right; our guilt has given you too many opportunities to speak with no regard for the feelings of others."

"I can't believe you are accusing me of not being sensitive to other's feelings. You wouldn't know an emotion if it tried to strangle you." Sydney scoffed.

"Untrue." Jack's simple statement held an air of authority. "For a long time all my emotions did was strangle me." Sydney had no biting reply. "Goodnight Sydney."

"She's a parasite Dad; infecting every facet of our lives. She'll devour you once she's done."

"Well then in anticipation of my end, you should know that I'll always love you." Jack turned, heading upstairs before the wry smile claimed his lips. 

The clock beside the bed hit 2:30, raising Irina's ire ever higher. Jack lay unbothered beside her as he had for the past three hours; it didn't seem fair. Releasing a final sigh of frustration, she conceded defeat, pulling herself from her soft prison of pillows and sheets.

A partial moon struggling to stay in the sky greeted Irina when she walked through the balcony doors of her bedroom. Words she and Sydney had exchanged earlier in the night raced a tumultuous stream of thought through her mind. Sydney had been out of line, of that she was sure but she was equally sure that she may have pushed her daughter one too many times in the other direction. The baby turned, kicked and tried to fine a comfortable spot, no doubt annoyed at being jostled awake.

For the first time in two decades the life she had dreamed of was within her grasp yet she seemed determined to sabotage the last chance at happiness she had been spared. Flicking the switch for the outdoor lights, cast a delicate illumination on the back yard.

Irina felt the difference in the atmosphere of the house before she heard it; the audible sounds of music being siphoned through the outside speakers.

_I can hear her heart beat for a thousand miles  
And the heavens open every time she smiles_

Irina felt her lips turn up at the familiar foot steps coming her way.

_And when I come to her that's where I belong  
Yet I running to her like a river song_

"What are you doing out here?" Jack asked in a whisper.

"Trying to get my thoughts to slow down." She spun to face him.

"Come here." He pulled her as close as he could, moving them both in time with the music.

_She gives me love, love, love, love, crazy love  
She gives me love, love, love, love, crazy love_

She's got a fine sense of humor when I'm feeling low down  
And when I come to her when the sun goes down  
Take away my trouble, take away my grief  
Take away my heartache, in the night like a thief

She gives me love, love, love, love, crazy love  
She gives me love, love, love, love, crazy love

"We're going to wake Sydney." Irina protested.

"Sydney sleeps like the dead. What thoughts have you been trying to slow in the middle of the night?"

"The conclusion of our evening with our daughter. Psychoanalyzing my behavior. Wondering if I'll ever be a good enough mother in Sydney's estimation or if I'm even capable."

Sydney had been unable to get back to sleep after a nightmare saw her mother slitting her father's throat and tossing him over the edge of the hill they were residing on. The sound of movement in the house startled her still; by the time the first strains of music floated to her room she had already decided to investigate.

She didn't expect to see her mother wrapped up in her father's arms as they danced on the patio beside the pool. Both alternated between laughter and seriousness as their voices grew in volume to allow her to listen from her place in the shadows on the second story balcony.

_Yeah I need her in the daytime  
Yeah I need her in the night  
Yeah I wanna throw my arms around her  
And kiss and hug her, kiss and hug her tight_

"Sydney just needs to suspend her disbelief long enough to allow you to explain. If she takes the time to listen, she'll find you aren't the bad ass you pretend to be."

"Don't let that get out; it would ruin my carefully constructed reputation." Irina scolded good naturedly.

"Have you come to a diagnoses?" Jack wondered aloud.

"Hhhmm?" 

"Your psychoanalysis." He supplied.

Irina hummed in the back of her throat. "I am wary of happiness because the last time I became complacent within the realm of happiness it was taken from me. Textbook, I know but I suppose at least my psychosis can be normal even if I can't."

_And when I'm returning from so far away  
She gives me some sweet lovin' brighten up my day  
And it make righteous, and it made me whole  
And it made me mellow down to my soul_

"You must be exhausted; you've stopped making sense." Jack kissed the side of her head. "Come back to bed Action."

"One more song. I don't want to waste the time we have together by sleeping."

_She gives me love, love, love, love, crazy love  
She gives me love, love, love, love, crazy love_

"One more." Jack agreed.

As the first song ended and the second began, he turned her, wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"I've finally been given the opportunity to speak to my daughter free from half-truths and misdirection and I get a paralyzing fear strangling the words in my throat. I'm scared Jack."

"You, scared?" He smiled against her neck.

"Yes and if you tell anyone I'll break both your legs." Jack squeezed her tighter, laughing aloud at her threat.

"I'd expect nothing less." Jack waited for Irina to answer his silent question.

"I can handle the loathing Sydney has for me because I tell myself that she doesn't know the truth." She took a breath.

_Hey where did we go  
Days when the rains came  
Down in the hollow  
Playin' a new game_

"I'm afraid her feelings for me won't change once she has learned the truth and by then I'm out of excuses." Irina closed her eyes.

"You told me and I'd say we've made progress."

"Yeah but I could take or leave you so if you decided you still wanted to hate me it wasn't a catastrophe." She teased, prying her mind from its previous circuit of thought.

"You lured me out of bed to insult me; oh woe is me." Jack said dramatically.

"It's much too late for Shakespeare, Sweetheart." She placed a kissed on the edge of his lips. "I love you. And know that I given the choice I would never leave you."

_Laughing and a running hey, hey  
Skipping and a jumping  
In the misty morning fog  
With our hearts a thumpin'  
And you, my brown eyed girl  
You my brown eyed girl._

"Was it coincidence that this song was next or did you finesse the situation?" Irina smiled at the lyrics.

"Purely coincidence." Jack spun her away from him then back to his arms.

_Whatever happened  
To Tuesday and so slow  
Going down to the old mine  
With a transistor radio  
Standing in the sunlight laughing  
Hiding behind a rainbow's wall  
Slipping and a sliding  
All along the waterfall  
With you, my brown eyed girl  
You my brown eyed girl_

Do you remember when  
We used to sing  
Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la  
La-te-da  
Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la  
La-te-da

So hard to find my way  
Now that I'm all on my own  
I saw you just the other day  
My, how you have grown  
Cast my memory back there lord  
Sometimes I'm overcome thinkin' 'bout it  
Makin' love in the green grass  
Behind the stadium  
With you my brown eyed girl  
You my brown eyed girl

Do you remember when  
We used to sing  
Sha-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la

Her parents danced with smiles etched into the granite of their faces; painting a picture she had never seen before. They laughed when her mother's stomach made for difficult maneuvering and kissed when they caught each other's eye. Sydney crept back to her room, resolving to hear her mother out in the morning.

**TBC**


	35. Chapter 35

**SYROS, GREECE**

Jack flexed his left hand before stretching out completely in the large bed he shared with Irina. She had rolled away from him sometime in the early morning after returning to bed and although she would not complain, he knew she must have been hot pressed against him.

Turning over, Jack found the occupant of his thoughts sprawled atop the sheets, her breasts bare of the tank top she had been wearing the night before and flushed cheeks speaking volumes of her warmth.

"What?" Her voice was smooth, possessing none of her previous sleep in its tones.

"I didn't speak." His eyes traced her figure, resting longest on her large stomach and chest.

"You're staring." She fought against the morning light to keep her eyes closed.

"If you'd rather I didn't stare, don't come to bed topless."

"I'm generating too much body heat to keep my cloths on." She sighed, succumbing to the start of a new day.

"A comment fantasies are built on." 

"Like role playing?" Irina looked at him blankly. "I'll be the international terrorist and you can be the CIA agent sent to apprehend me." She smirked.

"You're originality stuns me."

"I haven't even left the bed and you've already managed to annoy me." Reaching to the table beside her, Irina picked up the coral coloured tank top.

"You're in fine form this morning." Jack grinned despite the glare his wife shot at him.

The doorbell beat Irina to a retort, carrying its soft song to the master bedroom. Both looked skeptically across the bed, willing the other to be the one to get up.

"You have to answer that; it's likely Kyle and Jordan." Irina used her arms to pull herself into a sitting position on the bed, covering her breast with a quick tug of the tank over her head.

"And you can't walk downstairs and open the door?" Jack rolled onto his back, raising his eyebrows.

"It was your casual invitation that brought them here. I believe you wanted to 'talk' to them."

"I'll concede to your point this time." Jack stood.

"Hurry up and get dressed before Sydney answers the door." She told him from her semi-comfortable place on the bed.

"Why?" Jack furrowed his brow, although Irina couldn't tell whether it was at her or the open closet.

"No one should have to deal with those two boys' attempts to impress so early in the day." Irina paused then decided to add. "Not even Sydney."

Hearing the heavy wooden front door shut left little doubt at who finally let the boys in. Jack continued to peruse his closet, paying no attention to the impatiens of the room's female occupant.

"She'll kill them if you don't get down there soon."

"You seem quite sure of yourself." Jack pulled a pair of pants off their hanger.

"I contemplated it on one or two occasions while they were checking up on me. They're sweet until they become infuriating." She spoke with the same air of seriousness that one would over what to prepare for dinner. Jack decided he should dress quickly.

"Kyle and Jordan right." Sydney closed the door behind them.

"Yep! So how are you enjoying Syros? Have you been to the beach yet? Gone to the casino? Played beach-"

Sydney cut off, whom she assumed to be Jordan's, tangent. "My parents and I went out for dinner last night. But that's been about it." She slipped into her role with ease.

"Do you work with your parents?" Kyle asked, eager to keep talking to Sydney.

"Sometimes it's hard to tell." She muttered under her breath.

"Pardon?" Jordan leaned in a bit.

"I said sometimes but not as much recently." Wandering to the built in wall unit, Sydney traced the pattern on a dented bronze plate making a point to ask her mother why the item was mangled.

"You have the coolest parents. They're nice and friendly and smart and sure know how to enjoy a roof." Kyle earned himself a jab in his ribs for the comment to which Sydney merely appeared puzzled.

"But I'm sure you hear that all the time." Jordan added, softening the scowl previously directed at Kyle.

Sydney hoped she had successfully reigned in her incredulity. "Absolutely. My parents: making friends everywhere they go." Noticing the inquisitive looks on the boys' faces, Sydney forged ahead with another topic. "How long are you two staying in Greece for?"

"We got here in June but we'll be going home for Thanksgiving in October." They watched as Sydney's brow furrowed, and her mouth hung the slightest bit. "We're from Canada." Kyle added to which she nodded in understanding.

"Where abouts?" Glancing upstairs showed no sign of her parents yet.

"Nova Scotia. But we attend school in Ontario." Jordan imparted. "We're taking the semester off.

"I had a friend who went to school in Ontario; I think it was called Queens'. Tuition was like a fraction of what it is in the States." The boys nodded along as Sydney spoke.

Three sets of eyes darted to the staircase as Jack walked down, followed closely by Irina's stomach then her.

"Good morning boys." Irina shot them a half smile.

"Hi." They both said. "Jack, we just wanted you to know that we're not going to tell anyone about you guys. It's cool that you're trying to get away and we promise we don't want to be responsible for anything bad happening. And if you need another place to stay, farther away, you're welcome in Nova Scotia any time.

"Thank you." Jack shook both their hands, impressed with their firm grips. "You've both gone above and beyond for Irina and me."

The two boys looked down, hands in pockets and scuffed their feet on the floor, in serious danger of saying awe shucks. When Irina came around the couch to give them each a hug, Jack was sure he'd have to sweep their melted forms onto the porch.

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay you two for helping me. But if nothing else I want you to know that I have never met anyone more selfless and honorable than you two." She spoke softly, although her voice carried in the quiet of the house.

After pulling out of the embrace with Irina, Jordan took a breath and spoke. "We just wanted to let you know that we're heading to a few of the islands and back to the mainland for the next month, before going back home. So um…bye." 

Jack and Irina both smiled warmly, not noticing Sydney analyzing the scene. "Yeah so bye." Kyle gave a little wave. "It was really nice to meet you both. And you too Sydney." The young man made one last attempt to win over the Bristow's daughter.

"It was a pleasure meeting the both of you. Stay safe and have fun on the remainder of your trip." Irina moved back into the Jack's space.

"Good luck with the baby and everything. And you guys stay safe too. No more collapsing on the beach cause we won't be here to help you." Kyle shook his head and sighed before cracking a smile.

Jordan and Kyle headed to the door exchanging one final smile with the older couple. As the door closed behind them both their shoulders slumped.

"Do you think they're really going to be okay?" Kyle asked his friend.

"I have a feeling they're the type of people who always land on their feet." Jordan answered.

For a moment it seemed all the air was sucked from the room with the boys until Irina took in a deep breath, marching to the kitchen for breakfast, Jack's eyes following her.

"What's wrong?" Sydney tracked his gaze.

"Nothing. You're mother didn't sleep well last night. Her doctor recommended as little stress as possible and plenty of rest; I'm worried you're mother isn't adhering to the doctor's advice."

"She's a grown woman. I'm sure she can take care of herself." She said dismissively, more interested in eavesdropping on the call her mother had just answered.

"Jack, Peter would like to know if you want to go boating with him today?" Irina held the phone in her hand after hitting the mute button.

"Is he on the phone?" Jack walked toward her.

"No, Helen. She called to cancel our tea; Jimmy just got around to telling her soccer registration is today."

"The purpose of coming here was to spend time with you. Tell Peter not this time." Jack nodded in agreement with his own answer.

"Jack it's only for a few hours, you know you'll have a good time and anyway, I've got Sydney here as company. Go boating; you don't get many opportunities like this in L.A." She urged.

Knowing the debate could continue for hours, Jack agreed to go with Peter. "Helen," Irina spoke into the phone. "tell Peter Jack will be there." She paused while Helen spoke on the other end. "I will, talk to you soon." She hung up. "Peter said he'll meet you in front of the fish market in an hour."

"Sydney, are you alright spending the day here?" Jack eyed both women skeptically.

"I'm fine Dad. If Mom and I were going to kill each other, we would have done it by now."

"Somehow that is less than reassuring." 

The stillness of the house launched a torrent of shivers up Sydney's spine, igniting a trepidation transcending all logic. She had an irrational fear of being on the business end of her mother's favoured fire arm. Walking through the living room and kitchen, Sydney tentatively looked for her mother, not sure she truly wanted to find her.

Wandering to the threshold of her mother's office, she hesitated, not wanting to face the temptation of information within the room. The large picture window drew her attention out over the sea below, casting a beautiful yellow/blue hue over the functional space.

Pulling herself from her musings, she strode purposefully to the backyard. Eyes narrowed at yet another place her mother was not. She worked out how her mother could have left without her noticing as she climbed the outdoor stairs to the roof for a better look at the grounds.

"I was wondering when you would venture up here." It took all the willpower Sydney had to keep both feet on the ground at the unexpected voice.

At one end of the roof, an outdoor furniture set with umbrella was occupied by the white and blue clad form of her mother, a glass of watermelon juice and various papers on the table in front of her.

"I didn't know this was here." Sydney took a moment to observe the view and her surroundings.

"Were you looking for me, or simple investigating?" Irina piled the papers on the table together into a file, gently closing the manila sides together.

Sydney pursed her lips in thought, warring with the truth or an answer that would hurt her mother. "A little of both." She finally answered, deciding to set the tone for the conversation and tell the truth.

Irina nodded with a ghost of a smile, recognizing what it meant to have Sydney admit to seeking out her mother.

"Honesty." She drew the word out. "So it's going to be one of those conversations"

"Are you even familiar with honest conversations?" Sydney bit out before she could get a handle on her mouth.

Instead of reacting as she had the night before, Irina allowed a spark of laughter to pass her lips. "I may have heard of the notion in passing." Retaining her mirth, she ventured to set the pace of the discussion. "Or perhaps it was written in one of the morally demonstrative stories I read to you as a child."

"I don't recall. What memories I did have of that time have since become tainted." Not able to help herself, Sydney relentlessly tried to break down her mother's good mood.

"That's unfortunate." Irina completely disregarded Sydney's childish provocations. She looked from her daughter to one of the empty chairs around the table pointedly, waiting for Sydney to take a seat.

"What are you doing out here?" Sydney asked, gingerly sitting down.

"Research." Irina's quick look to the water over the edge of the property told Sydney the subject was closed for the duration of their talk.

"I guess my first question for you is how?" Sydney raised her eyebrows at her mother's midsection.

"Any retort on sexual practices would decidedly be out of place, so I'll not respond to the literal nature of the question." Irina threw the mouthful of meaningless words at Sydney to buy time to organize her thoughts. "My pregnancy was in no way planned and considering it happened only once and my age it was likely more of a shock to me than even your father."

"Fifty-two is startlingly old to be having a child." Sydney's fingers tangled together in a mad fidget.

"I'm only fifty and while to me it seemed unlikely, my doctor informed me it has become a more common occurrence." Sydney's furrowed brow lead Irina to explain further. "Your father was forced to suffer the long version but the short is quite simple. My birth documents were falsified to make it possible to recruit me into the KGB two years earlier than was permitted."

Satisfied with her explanation, Sydney asked her next question. "When are you due?"

"The beginning of November." Irina's hand drifted to her stomach.

"Is the baby healthy?" Sydney said after a tense silence.

"Yes. As far as the doctors can tell."

"Are you planning on abandoning the baby with Dad after you have it?" Irina watched Sydney's face harden against the rush of emotion the question provoked.

Tilting her head in appraisal, Irina wondered at the obvious Freudian undercurrent to the query. Her dark eyes searched the mirrored depths of her daughter's, hoping the truth thundered as ferociously between them as it did in her own head.

"If there are words enough to qualify my absence in your life, they escape me Sydney. Because, of all the mistakes I've made through the course of my life, I've regretted none expect the one that took me from you and your father."

Sydney couldn't be sure whether it was her emotional upheaval, the clear blue sky of the island, hiding nothing from the visitors of the day, or her mother's thoughtful brown eyes but on that day in spite of everyday that had come before, Sydney knew her mother had spoken the truth. And yet, it wasn't enough.

"What about the parents you took from their children? You don't regret that?" Sydney pursed her lips, staring down the truth ahead.

"One of my mistakes was gathering intel on CIA agents for the KGB, agents who were marked as threats to Russia but it was my job. You pass on information to the CIA that can have deadly repercussions to your country's enemies and often times, civilians but you can't regret it because at the end of the day, you were doing your job as they were."

"The difference is, I don't seek them out to kill them." Sydney argued.

"And neither did I." Irina halted her protests. "I was not part of the CIA agents' murders I stand accused of; I have proof of my innocence. Check with your father for confirmation as he has likely investigated the validity of my claim."

"Vaughn's father?" Sydney needed to hear her mother say it despite her caution believing the story.

"A casualty of my country but not my hand." Irina debated whether to sever eye contact to sip her juice, deciding the contact she and Sydney were sharing was of strategically value to both parties and to leave her drink be. "That's not to say I haven't killed; it's the nature of our profession."

"So at those times it wasn't a mistake?" Her inquiry was genuine.

"Of course it was. A mistake that kept me alive." Irina held nothing back.

"Where have you been for the last twenty years?" Sydney blurted out, with decidedly less edge than her pervious questions.

"Prison, embroiled in Rambaldi's works, building a crime cartel. I moved around a lot after the first year I left, more out of survival than anything else." Irina shrugged.

Sydney said nothing for a while, lost in thought. "When I found out what you'd done; marrying Dad for information, having me to seal your relationship, I felt this great sense of betrayal. You may not have meant to hurt me so deeply, maybe you didn't even think I would feel strongly as Dad about what you did but I do." Irina remained quiet, wanting Sydney to finish what she had started.

"A mother is a sacred thing; she can nurture and protect and love beyond the measure of anyone else. I think sometimes even more than a father. But it also means that her lies, indiscretions and betrayal is felt more acutely than another. You made a mockery of everything I thought I knew in my life, of everything that was real to me. I loved you and trusted you to be my mother and you hurt me. You took that all away. I felt like I was floundering alone with no one there to save me because that one person that I always thought would be there, whether in reality or my thoughts was gone." Sydney's breath hitched through her falling tears, forming a lump in the back of her throat and making it ache to swallow.

"Sydney," Irina started softly. "I never meant to hurt you as I have. When I left it was only to protect you and if I could have I would have taken you with me." She shuddered at the thought of Sydney in Kashmir with her. "I regret not telling your father the truth; I should have had more faith in his abilities to protect us from the KGB and I have spent every day since, wondering what would have been different if I had."

"You have grown into the most beautiful, intelligent, kind, capable young woman I have ever met. I don't think any mother could be as proud of her daughter than I am of you; I wish I had even had the courage at your age that you possess. When I held you for the first time, I realized that everything in my life had lead me to that moment. Holding the most important and precious little girl in the world and I promised myself that I would keep you safe and not let anyone hurt you." Irina stood from her chair and leaned over Sydney's to caress her cheek. "What I didn't realize was that while I was keeping other's from hurting you, I was doing more damage than they ever could."

The tears Sydney had gotten control of slid down her face anew, commiserating with the counterparts on her mother's cheeks. Sydney didn't remember ever seeing her mother cry as a child. To her, her parents were invincible, there to dry the tears that only she would cry.

"Oh my sweet sweet little girl." Irina's voice cracked, leaving her to speak only in a whisper. "I never meant to cause you so much pain. You didn't deserve this; I'm sorry baby girl. I'm so sorry."

Unable to stop the emotions from erupting, Sydney launched herself at her mother. Mother and daughter stood together on the roof, Sydney's face pressed against her mother's shoulder hoping to suppress the sobs coursing through her, while Irina spilled silent tears and consoled her only daughter by rubbing her back.

And for the first time in twenty years, Sydney remembered what it was like to have a mother. The woman who would protect you, who wouldn't judge you, who was the one safe place you could always go.

Feeling Sydney shift restlessly against her, Irina loosened her grip and pulled away. She wiped the tears still glistening on her daughter's face before attending to her own. "Don't you ever forget that I love you." She order to which Sydney only nodded.

"Have you ever been scared?" Sydney asked tentatively.

"I have not gone a day without fear since I was sixteen. I fear for myself, for you, for your father, for the baby. I don't know any other way to live, except in a constant state of fear. It was the one thing I never wanted you to have to experience." She shook her head in disappointment.

Sydney looked uncomfortable suddenly. "Is it okay that I'm scared that you're going to disappear again?" She asked, feeling like a child once again.

"I suppose with my history you would be remiss in your training not to be. But I promise you, I'm not going anywhere." She paused to glance at her stomach between them. "At least not quickly." Irina sighed mentally in relief when Sydney laughed.

"There is one more thing." Sydney tilted her head and furrowed her brow. "How is it that the Secretary General of the United Nations and his wife know you?"

"Sydney, despite everything, I'm going to ask you to give me your faith. You're father knows but I can't tell you yet. It won't be long before you know though." Irina wasn't sure if the fragile relationship could stand one more secret but she didn't have a choice.

"Dad's okay with it?" Sydney remained suspect but conceded at her mother's nod. "Let's go inside. I want to watch that DVD marked ultrasound." Sydney smiled brightly at her mother.

**SYROS, GREECE **(in case you forgot)

_"Oh yeah, gotta be a spy." Jordan said under his breath; however loud enough to turn four startled sets of eyes his way._

"Shut the fck up dude." Kyle whispered with a harsh glare.

Jack and Irina shared a quick looked over Sydney's head, while their daughter stared wide-eyed in shock at the two boys.

"Who told you we-"

"Boys, if you wouldn't mind, could I have a word with you outside." Jack's hardened demeanor left little choice of a response.

"Sure." Jordan hoped his fear was not written in bold across his face as Kyle's was.

"Great job ass. Now were both going to be swimming with the fishes." Kyle paled at the thought, keeping his voice low and not detected by their escort outside.

"That's the mob moron, not the CIA. And we're not American, what are they going to do to us?" Jordan retorted.

"It's called sphere of influence Jerkoff. I knew I should have gotten your lazy ass out of bed for Political Science class this year." Kyle scowled slightly.

"Who are you, my mother? Anyway, that class was way too early in the morning to make and I still passed didn't I." Jordan nudged his friend and gave him a quirky smile.

Jack stopped walking outside by the pool, waiting for the two boys to follow suit. His decision to take them outside and ensure their silence didn't seem like such a good idea when he glanced inside at Sydney and Irina, alone.

"We didn't tell anyone, we swear." Kyle said abruptly, drawing Jack back to the matter at hand.

"Sit." He pointed to the chairs by the water, sitting across from them once they were settled. "Now, explain to me why the two of you are so quick to help total strangers?" 

Neither boy knew how to answer Jack's question.

"I'm not sure what you mean." Jordan stated nervously. "When she fell down on the beach, we thought, I mean she didn't-" He looked at his friend for help.

"Someone would have helped her, we were just the first ones there." Kyle supplied. "At least I hope someone would have helped her. You don't just leave someone laying hurt, or you don't where we come from." His shrug eased some of the tension from Jack's shoulders.

"But you didn't stop there. You've been by everyday since then to check on her, that's over and above the call of duty." Jack didn't believe the two boys were any threat to his family but he wasn't going to make the mistake of assuming.

"You weren't here and we figured that you would want someone looking out for her. She's umm…she's kinda stubborn." Jordan lowered his voice, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Irina hadn't heard him.

Jack almost gave into a smile at Jordan's terrified words. He would have to tell Irina about it later but for now it seemed Kyle was about to crack under the weight of his stare.

"And she's mad hot." He finally sputtered out.

"Mad hot?" Jack said with obvious interest.

"Kyle you stupid fck. Don't say that about the guy's wife." Jordan hit him in the arm.

"Well she is." He retorted.

"Mad hot." Jack tried again, a little quieter than before. "It's quite alright Jordan. I'm aware of my wife's beauty and how appreciated it is by others. I'm more concerned with the information you both possess regarding my status within the CIA."

"Like I said, we didn't say a word to anyone." Kyle reiterated. "Are you guys hiding out because of the baby? Is someone after you?"

"Why can't you just go back to the States. The CIA would protect you wouldn't they?" Jordan wondered aloud.

"They may protect me but not Irina." Jack was careful about what he said, eyeing both young men suspiciously.

"Is it like some weird policy that they don't protect spouses of their agents; I thought she worked for the CIA too." Jordan shook his head in confusion.

"Irina is former Russian intelligence." Jack decided that the boys had earn as much of the truth as he was willing to give as they had made sure Irina and his son were safe.

"But your daughter has to be almost thirty." Kyle seemed flabbergasted while Jordan furrowed his brow.

"What does that have to do with anything?" He asked his friend.

"Jord, thirty years ago the Cold War was at its height, Jack and Irina would have been on opposite sides of the fight." When understanding refused to spark in Jordan's eyes, Kyle rolled his. "I forgot you missed modern history as well."

"It was a night class. Did the university actually think I would be able to focus until ten? I caught up on a lot of sleep while you were in that class." Jack smirked at the antics of the boys, feeling younger in their presence.

"Yes well, suffice it to say, Irina and I seemed to defy the odds if not our governments."

"But the Cold War is over, Russia and the US are…well friends isn't really a term I would use concerning politics but allies at least." Jordan spoke animatedly, receiving stunned looks from Jack and Kyle. "Hey, just cause I didn't go to class doesn't mean I didn't read the text book." He frowned with indignation.

"It's complicated." Jack said simply. "All I need from you is assurances that you won't mention our names or even a vague description of what went on here to anyone. Irina and I can take care of ourselves but the baby…." He paused. "I would rather not have to make the two of you disappear."

Jordan and Kyle both gulped audibly. "Of course Sir." "Won't hear a word from us."

"Good." Was all they got in return. "I'm sure your friends are expecting you back. Come by in a few days, I'd love to talk to you both." Neither was capable of uttering a word, nodding their heads instead. "Thank you again for all you've done." Jack's sudden smile almost made them flinch.

Glancing sharply at the living room doors, Jack checked on Irina and Sydney. A large part of him worried that if he left his daughter and wife unsupervised for long, one of them would do or say something they'd regret later. And he didn't want to waste time dealing with Sydney's rash actions when he could be spending time with Irina.

"Why don't we cut the bullsht, Dad's gone." Sydney snarled from across the room. "What is this really about? Information, money, another one of Rambaldi's twisted little inventions?"

"Your father and I told you, Rambaldi is no longer an issue; I've destroyed all of his known works. My organization has access to information even the CIA does not and as for money….you're a smart girl." Irina raised her eyebrows, keeping her hands at her sides in an attempt at looking non-threatening.

"Obviously not smart enough to have recognized your lies for what they were when you turned yourself into the CIA, but I like to think I've been further educated since that time." Sydney walked around the living room, taking in the perfect design. Everything in the room looked as though someone had taken the time to choose each piece with thoughtful insight. "Is it that your lack the mothering instinct altogether or do you just hate your children?"

Irina was about to respond when Sydney cut her off.

"Then again, I'm assuming this child was planned; that in some way you are going to use this against Dad and I but maybe I'm jumping to conclusions; perhaps this was a tragic little accident." She pointed to her mother's stomach from three feet away. "You could be trying to make the best of an unfortunate situation; suck Dad back in, make him fall in love with his child and possibly even you then kill the child and tear him apart once more."

"You have no idea what you're talking about." Irina was no longer able to reign in her anger. "You would do well to remember that no matter what you think of me, I am still your mother. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt in this case because of your recent ordeal with Sloane but don't make the mistake of speaking to me like that again and expect to get away unscathed."

"Be careful Mother, your spots are showing." The words held a bitterness she had never been party to from her daughter.

"What will it take?" Their eyes looked, brown on brown, both searching for answers. "Ask me anything you want and I'll answer it to the best of my ability." Irina offered.

Sydney turned the invitation over in her mind before asking anything. "Why did you kill William Vaughn?"

"Over twenty years of questions and you ask one that has little relevance to your own life. Do you love Michael Vaughn that much or do you merely fear the truths I could give you.

"Answer the question." Sydney's gritted teeth forced Irina to pause before speaking.

"We're in the business of killing Sydney. When we're given an order to kill someone, we don't ask questions like 'why'. As soon as we do, we go from the killers to the killed." Her words were drawn out slowly, not sure whether her explanation would be excepted. "I don't know why William Vaughn was killed, in part because it wasn't me who killed him."

"What?" The single word came out as a surprised reflex.

"Alexander Khasinau was my handler while I was with your father and felt my mission would be jeopardize if my focus and duties were split. He told Moscow he would take responsibility for the executions."

"But the books…"

"Were all part of a meticulously orchestrated frame by the KGB to give the CIA someone to blame for the murders and ensure that I would not be able to return to the US or my family."

"I can't…why didn't you tell us this when you turned yourself in?" Sydney stopped wandering around the room, choosing to look for impurities in her mother's explanation instead.

"I wasn't there to straighten out misunderstandings, I was there to get rid of Sloane and give you back your life. You're acting as though your father is a brainless idiot, once more pulled into my web of deceit; you obviously don't credit his intelligence. I had to have given your father some reason to trust me." Irina regarded her daughter's stern expression, suddenly feeling very tired. "I'm seven months pregnant, I haven't seen your father in over a month and I spent all of last week worrying that I may end up loosing both my children. Right now I couldn't care less whether you believe what I'm telling you or not; we're safe and that's all that matters."

"So you wouldn't stop me if I walked out the door right now?" Sydney taunted.

"Provided you kept my location a secret."

"If that's suppose to endear me to you, it was an oversight on your part. You don't care what happens to me." She accused.

"I never said I didn't care, but I also wouldn't try to stop you. You're an adult Sydney, you make your own choices. You have to own those choices and the repercussion that result." She sounded very much like a mother scolding her teenage daughter.

"Age old wisdom from Mom?" Sydney said sarcastically.

"No, a lesson I had to learn the hard way."

"And if I turned you in to the CIA?"

"You would be hurting your father." Irina quickly supplied.

"Then what do you propose I do?" Sydney worked to maintain her hardened demeanor in front of her mother.

"You're welcome to stay with your father and I for the few days he's here. It promises to be enlightening."

"Make no mistake, I'm staying to keep an eye on Dad." Sydney replied.

"Of course."

"See you later Irina. It was nice meeting you Sydney." Jordan said as he and Kyle were led through the living room by Jack.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with us." Kyle smiled, showing two rows of perfectly straight white teeth.

"Dad, you told them what we do?" Sydney blurted out in shock.

"You're a spy too?" Kyle appeared as though he was going to fall over.

"Which side do you work for?" Jordan suddenly seemed more interested in the politics behind being a spy.

"Goodbye Jordan, Kyle. We'll see you in a few days." Jack opened the front door as their cue to leave.

"See ya Jack." They both chimed as the door closed behind them.

"Did you check out their daughter. She was hot." Kyle told his friend excitedly.

"I'd like to pump that."

"Me too dude."

Jack turned his attention to the two women facing off in what had once been a tranquil living room. He wasn't sure but there appeared to be resolution in both their eyes.

"No blood. That's an improvement from your previous meetings."

Two sets of incredulous brown orbs turned on him, not impressed with his humor. Jack shrugged off the glares, moving to sit on the couch. After a few moments of hesitation Irina sunk down beside him, while Sydney dropped into the chair she had occupied before.

"Sydney has decided to stay with us for the next few days." Irina informed him, devoid of the happiness he thought the situation would carry with it. Catching her gaze, they held a silent conversation.

Sydney watched the exchange with growing intrigue. She had never seen her parents' expressions as open as they were when looking at one another.

"Jack, can you take Sydney up and show her which room she'll be staying in. I'm going to get something to eat."

Irina stood with the help of the couch's arm, moving toward the kitchen. Jack caught her hand, standing close beside her to whisper in her ear.

"Are you okay?"

Blinking slowly, a sad smile lit her lips. "No, but I will be." Irina broke away continuing on into the kitchen while Jack escorted his perpetually stunned daughter up the stairs.

"Dad, would you be so kind as to explain what the hell is going on!" Her harsh whisper was directed at the back of his head as they ascended the stairs.

"Exactly what it looks like Sydney. Your mother and I are waiting for the birth of our second child." His simple reply received a huff from her.

"She said she wasn't responsible for the death of Vaughn's father or the other CIA agents." 

"I've ascertained that it is highly unlikely that she killed the agents. And I know for certain she did not kill William Vaughn." He ushered Sydney into the bright room down the hall from his and Irina's.

"Maybe I would have an easier time accepting this whole scenario if I knew what it was that Mom told you to earn back your trust." She walked into the room and sat on the large bed.

"You don't want to hear what your mother told me Sydney, I wish I hadn't. You're going to have to find a way to trust her without that information." Jack opened the doors to Sydney's balcony, letting more of the sunlight into the room.

"And if I can't?" She turned on the bed to watch him.

"Then you can't." Neither spoke as they pondered what the next few days would accomplish. "I'm going downstairs to help your mother. Look around and come down when you're ready."

"Dad, you were a new person when you came back from your trip weeks ago: relaxed, content, happy even." Whatever response she was expecting, it wasn't the one she got.

"You can thank your mother for that when you come down." He left the room in search of his wife.

**Syros- Greece**

The morning crept lazily over the horizon on Jack and Sydney's last day on Syros. The bright yellow orb was seeming able to contradict its very nature to give the family more time together. Jack and Irina were the first to rise due to Irina's ever shrinking bladder and set about making breakfast for Sydney.

It wasn't until just after ten when Sydney finally made her appearance downstairs. "Morning Mom, Dad." She said, covering a yawn with her hand.

"You slept for a while." Jack said, pulling fresh bread from the cupboard.

"It's something about this place. I just couldn't seem to will my body from the bed." She told them.

"It's called relaxation Sweetheart." Irina said sweetly. "You should try it more often."

Sydney snorted her amusement. "Like you're one to talk." She joked before popping a strawberry into her mouth.

"Wait until we get to the table." Irina admonished.

Once seated Sydney dove into her food. "When do we leave?" She asked her Dad between bites.

"Hydrofoil departs at two this afternoon; we'll be on it." Jack stated pointedly.

Irina looked down at her plate to hide the disappointment on her face. She knew they had to go back to Los Angeles but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"What are you going to do while we're gone Mom?" Sydney asked thoughtfully.

"At the rate your brother is growing, not a whole lot." Irina joked. Sydney smiled in appreciation of her mother's lighter side. "I'll shop. I've yet to decorate the nursery."

Jack sat back and watched as his wife and daughter tentatively embarked on a relationship sans bullets and handcuffs. There was a definite sense of peace surrounding the villa that morning, warming a part of Jack that he believed had long since died.

**TBC**


	36. Chapter 36

**L.A. (2 months later)**

It had been a long time since Jack had seen Irina and it was affecting him more than he thought possible. He sat in his office splitting his focus between the ops report Dixon had submitted and missing his wife.

He was heading out on a mission that was scheduled to last one month but would lasts no more than a few days and give him the freedom to visit Irina. She had admitted to being lonely during their last conversation; an admission which shook him to his core. But Sydney had placed two calls to her mother since being back which managed to lift the hormonally charged woman's spirits at times.

All attempts at concentrating were aborted when the knock came at his office door.

"Come in." He called, knowing Caroline had stepped away from her desk for lunch.

"Dad, are you busy?" Sydney stepped through the door, closing it behind her.

"I have some time to spare." He turned his attention to her.

"I wanted to wait until your assistant left for lunch. When are you going to see Mom next?" She asked suddenly.

"In a few days; when I'm finished gathering the information we need in Albania." Jack closed the file on his desk and laid his hands over top of it.

"Is someone going to be with her when she has the baby?" Sydney looked down, not wanting her father to see her concern for the mother.

"I know your mother is lonely Sydney and in light of this conversation I would assume you have come to the same conclusion. I organized the operation to Albania for the purpose of being with your mother for the next few weeks."

"Good." Sydney nodded her head. She got up to leave but hesitated at the door. "I asked Mom already but would you make sure you call me and let me know when she goes into labour." Jack gave her a brisk nod and a tiny smile which she returned.

"Oh and Sydney." He stopped her at the door. "You don't have to wait until my assistant is at lunch to come see me. She has been apprised of the situation." Jack reopened the file folder.

"Does Mom know?" Both of her eyebrows were reaching for the sky.

"She does. Caroline is a good friend of your mothers." He smirked as Sydney grew further astonished.

"I know that some wives help pick their husband's assistances to ensure they stay loyal but you and Mom always manage to make it more than that. You're both so weird." Sydney shook her head when her father's smirk turned into a full grin. "Give her a hug from me."

**Syros – Greece **

"Irina?" The front door closed with a heavy bang, Jack dropping his briefcase in the hallway, scanning the house for activity. "Irina?" He hollered again, moving into the living room. Again he received no response.

Glancing at the empty backyard, he turned and headed up stairs. Their bedroom was vacant as well, piquing Jack's curiosity. At the end of the hall he could hear sounds of life in the laundry room. The smaller room was awash in noise as both the washer and dryer ran their cycles while the only occupant folded clean cloths.

"What are you doing?"

Irina jumped, startled by the intrusion then cursed her lack of control. She spun to face a smirking Jack.

"You startled me; couldn't you have given me warning that you were here?" She huffed.

"You didn't hear me calling you?" He raised an sardonic eyebrow at her perturbed demeanor.

"You aren't supposed to be here until tonight." Her large stomach drew his attention.

"I finished early. If I had known this was the reception I would receive, I wouldn't have rushed to get here." Jack pursed his lips and made a show of rolling his eyes.

Irina seemed to shake herself from her annoyed stupor and smile coyly at her husband. "Oh stop pouting; you know I'm happy you're home." She took a few steps until she was in his arms and kissed him passionately. "But I have things to do today and you're a distraction." Patting his chest, she returned to her folding. 

"What is so important that you can't give your husband, who hasn't seen you in over a month, your attention?"

"I'm washing all the baby's cloths." She held up a freshly dried blanket.

"The baby hasn't been born yet; how could his cloths be dirty?" Jack eyed the four other stuffed bags on the floor beside the laundry room sink.

"You can't dress a baby in cloths right from the store Jack; you never know what's on them." Her exasperation at him bled through her words. "You act like you've never done this before." It was her turn to roll her eyes.

"If memory serves me, I avoided the shopping and dressing of Sydney as much as you would allow." Jack watched as Irina's shoulders tightened and her breathing changed. It lasted ten seconds before returning to normal. Had he not been paying close attention to the back of her head he would have missed the anomaly.

She didn't mention it, nor did he, as something else quickly caught his attention. "You spent €225 on a sleeper!" He pulled the tiny garment from the bag. "Is it even legal to charge that much for this little fabric?"

"It's a limited edition Dolce and Gabbana new arrival sleeper and it's adorable." She grinned at him.

"You do know that at the rate babies grow; he'll only be able to wear this once or twice right."

"I'm not going to argue with you about a sleeper Jack. I saw it; I liked it; I bought it. Now make yourself useful and take the tags off the rest of the new cloths."

He knew she was testing his resolve, to see how long he could withhold commenting on the price of the other new items. "No baby's crib needs sheets of 700 thread count Egyptian cotton, let alone three sets of them Irina."

"You do know that babies go through sheets quickly." She mocked his earlier comment with a quirk of her eyebrows.

"I've been working for three days straight. I'm going to get something to eat." He kissed her on the cheek and ran his hand over their son.

With his back turned to walk out of the room, Jack missed Irina tense again; however, she managed not to break the continuous folding movements.

Twenty minutes later Irina navigated the stairs with one hand on the railing but mysteriously managed to maintain her grace. She found Jack finishing the left-over pastitso she put in the fridge the night before and watching the news.

"I see you still have an affinity for Greek food." She smiled softly at him, coming around the backside of the couch to gently massage his shoulders.

"I was blessed with a wife who can cook." He smiled up at her. "Actually I was blessed with a wife who can do just about anything." He kissed a hand that was on his shoulder.

"Suck up." She whispered deeply against his ear before capturing his lips in a quick kiss.

"Was that an invitation?" Jack smiled and stood from the couch to approach her. Irina's smile wavered for only a second but Jack saw it. "You're having contractions aren't you." He stated simply.

"Yes." She took a deep breath as the contraction ran its course.

"Any particular reason you didn't mention it?" Jack crossed his arms.

"You had just walked in the door and speaking from experience you don't handle labour and delivery well." Irina crossed her arms as well, thankful that the baby had dropped in the last week to make room for them over her middle.

"That was also thirty years ago and we were both much younger. And this is hardly the same scenario." Jack argued. "And it still doesn't explain why you haven't left for the hospital."

"I've been having contractions since I woke up this morning; my water hasn't broken yet and I phoned the doctor to let her know I would be coming in sometime today. She's expecting me." Seeing Jack was still not satisfied she tried a different tactic. "I wanted to wait here for you as long as I could so we could go together. The last time I went to the hospital I wasn't sure if you were going to make it in time."

"I might not have made it this time either if I had arrived at night. You could have at least called me this morning. And what were you going to do if your water broke before I got here? Drive yourself to the hospital?" Jack's voice dipped in tone, illustrating his frustration with his wife.

"Of course not Jack." She shook her head at his idiocy. "I called a driver this morning and had them waiting by to come get me and the hospital's only fifteen minutes away, ten if you rush."

"For someone so absolutely brilliant you can be unbelievably negligent with your own health." Jack punctuated his point with his hands.

"Oh Jack, if I didn't know any better I would think that you just compliment-" her retort trailed off as the rush of warm liquid began to trail down her legs. Irina rolled her eyes at the absurd timing of her son. "Well, come on Action, you're the one who's so eager to go to the hospital." She gestured her body to Jack. "I'm just going to take a shower and then we can go." She turned to start up the stairs.

"Irina, you are not having a shower. I'll get your bag, a towel and a change of clothes but we're not waiting for you to have a shower." Irina almost smirked at Jack taking control.

"I'll meet you out in the car." He took the stairs two at a time to retrieve the items he promised her.

The car ride to the hospital was silent. Irina choosing to stew over the fact that Jack wouldn't give her time to shower and Jack reacting to her annoyance. Neither able to remember how their fight began. Jack pulled the Mercedes up to the hospital to drop Irina off before parking the car.

"I'll meet you in the-" Jack was cut off by the slamming of the passenger side door. He let out a breath before pulling away from the curb.

Irina was already gone by the time Jack entered the main lobby of the hospital. He went to the front desk and asked for his wife's room number.

"Jack? When did you get back?" Jack turned to find Peter standing behind him.

"Just now actually." He shook hands with the doctor. "Irina's been in labour all day and just now decided it was time to come to the hospital."

"Ah, the big day has arrived. I remember when Helen had Sophia, she dragged her feet all day before relenting and coming to the hospital. I found out later that she was terrified of coming in and having the doctors find something wrong with the baby." Peter walked with Jack down the hall in the direction of Irina's room.

"That's absurd. If there had been something wrong the hospital would have been better equipped to handle it." Jack scoured.

"When the contractions start all rational thought goes out the window Jack. You've been through this before, you must remember." Peter laughed at his serious friend.

"That was a long time ago and frankly I wasn't much help to Irina." Jack gave a defeated sigh.

"Ah, the nervous first time father." Peter smiled and clapped him on the back.

"More like the nervous, missing in action first time father." Jack shrugged sheepishly.

"Well, you better get in there before she thinks you've gone missing again." Peter gestured to the labour and delivery doors ahead. "I'll let Helen know that you're here, I'm sure she'll want to stop by and see the baby. Good luck and tell Irina we're thinking of her." Peter walked away still smiling.

Walking through the doors Jack was taken back almost thirty years to another hospital in a different country where a another baby was born. He could not have known that Irina was reliving the same memories.

_  
**Flashback**_

"I'm going to kill Jack." Irina sat in their apartment in Maryland cursing Jack Bristow for all she was worth as another contraction hit her. A knock on the door provided some distraction to the pain gripping her lower abdomen. "It's open." She ground out.

"Laura? Are you okay?" Emily Sloane asked her friend.

"Just peachy." Irina said between clenched teeth. "But I'm going to kill Jack." She said matter-of-factly.

"I can imagine. Have you still not been able to get a hold of him?" Emily sympathized with her friend's plight.

"No. The bastard is completely incommunicado. But let me tell you this, if he doesn't manage to get his ass to the hospital before this baby is born, I'm not putting his name on the birth certificate."

Emily tried to hide the smile Irina's angry words were evoking. Her friend had always been a firecracker and with the added spark of labour she knew it was bound to be an interesting car ride. "Come on; let's get you to the hospital before I can add mid-wife to my resume." She helped Irina off the couch and to the front door. 

"Thank you so much for coming to pick me up Emily. I don't know what I would have done without you." Irina squeezed her hand.

"I'm just sorry I can't stay with you at the hospital. I have to be in court in an hour." She watched as Irina closed and locked the front door and waited while another contraction took its turn at abuse.

"It's alright." Irina finally said breathlessly. "Jack will be get to the hospital soon and if he doesn't-"

Emily smiled brightly at her "-you'll kill him." The two women laughed as they walked awkwardly down the driveway and took off for the hospital.

Six hours later and Irina was alone in her hospital room waiting for Jack and the baby to make their appearance yet after six hours of labour she wasn't sure which one she was wishing to get ther first. The nurses came in and out regularly to check on her progress but other than that she was by herself with nothing to do in the short increments of time that her body wasn't riddled with contractions. 

In a moment of desperation she began a long running dialogue with her unborn child.

"It's just you and I right now kiddo. I need you to help me out here, no more games, how about you just decide now's the time to see the world outside. It's really not such a bad place and that's high praise coming from someone like me." She paused to run a hand over her stomach. "Your dad has made it all tolerable I can't wait for you to meet him. That is if I don't put a bullet in his head for leaving me to give birth to you alone."

"I wish my mother was here right now. She would know what to do, how to change diapers, when to feed you, how much to feed you, how to give you a bath, when to know if you're sick or happy. I don't know any of that; it's really not my field of expertise. But when you're old enough I'll show you how to take a man down twice your size in twenty seconds or less." She smiled to herself, still rubbing her stomach. "You're grandmother would have loved to be here right now too little one." She stopped talking as a more intense contraction stole her breath.

"Well, at least I have some valuable information for my superiors resulting from this pregnancy. Forget training to withstand torture, nothing could be worse than this." She clutched the bed sheet. "Can I tell you a secrete sweetheart?" Irina whispered to her unborn child. "I'm absolutely terrified. They trained me how to be an agent, an American, even a wife but no one ever trained me to be a mother." She took a deep shuddering breath. "I'd like to apologize in advance for all the mistakes I'm liable to make."

Another hour passed after Irina's one sided conversation with the baby when finally Jack came literally sliding into the room.

"Did I miss it?" He was out of breath.

"Does it look like you missed it?" She gestured her stomach, well and truly pissed after the seven hours of labour. "Where the hell have you been Jack? You better have single handedly kept the world from Armageddon while saving a pregnant virgin name Mary because you're going to need a savior when I'm done with you." Irina's eyes burred with fury.

"I'm so sorry I wasn't here before. But I'm here now." Jack sat beside her bed and went to take her hand in his but winced.

"What the hell happened Jack?" Irina scanned his seated form. "And don't say you're fine. You're not fine." She looked more closely at his pale face, a fine layer of sweat was forming on its surface.

"I was shot. I'm fine though." He said quickly, showing her the wound on the side on his body.

"You're sure as hell right you're fine. What were you doing getting yourself shot when you were supposed to be here with me!" She exclaimed.

"Think of it this way, at least you won't be the only one in pain." Jack tried to ease her mood.

"You think you can compare my pain with yours? I don't think so Jonathan!" She glared. "Why don't you just sit there and look cute it's what you do best." Jack wasn't sure whether that was intended as an insult or not but he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut.

The door opened again and this time the doctor walked through with a smile, Irina thought it was too cocky for her liking.

"So Mrs. Bristow, are you ready to deliver this baby?" He asked her.

"I was good and ready to deliver this baby hours ago, what the hell kind of question is that?" She spit out.

"Laura, calm down. The doctor is only trying to help." Jack mistakenly tried to placate her.

"Mrs. Bristow, I understand it's been a long few hours." Before the doctor could continue Irina cut him off.

"How could you possible understand! And if the two of you don't shut up soon, the doctor that will be replacing you will be calling me the widow Bristow. I just want this to be over with one way or another." She fell back against the pillows on her bed and closed her eyes tight as another contraction pulled at her sanity.

"Let me just take a look and see how far along you are." The doctor took a look and breathed a sigh of relief. "Looks like you're about ready to go. I'll be back in a few minutes." He smiled sympathetically at Jack and whispered. "My wife was the same way with all four of ours." He laughed at the wide eyed expression on the younger man's face.

"You better not think that just because you got yourself shot that you're not going to have to help when we take the baby home." Another contraction hit and she groaned loudly.

"I'm sorry, really. I didn't mean to get here so late. I know you're in pain; I wish you could do this without the pain. You could always get the epidural." Jack took her hand gently.

"You think I'm going to let some moron get near my spinal column with a ten inch needle. Are you sure you didn't hit your head when you got shot?" She huffed. "I'm likely to end up paralyzed then who would take care of your sorry behind." 

The room started filling with nurses coming in and out until the doctor arrived and the movement slowed to a less rapid pace. "Alright, Mom, Dad, let's introduce the newest member of the family." The doctor took his place at the end of the bed and began coaching Irina to push.

After the third push Irina gasped for air and hissed her annoyance. "Jack you're bleeding on me. Can you please get that under control." Had she been a little less focused on her own pain she would have seen Jack pale further.

"Dad, do you want to come down and see your baby's head?" The doctor smiled, now used to the idea of fathers wanting to be in the delivery room.

Jack moved to Irina's legs and saw the top of their baby's head before crashing to the floor unconscious.

"Jack! Jack, you better not be unconscious." Irina yelled at him.

"Don't worry Mrs. Bristow, I've had a lot of Dad's think they can handle seeing the birth and end up on the floor. Nurse Chambers will you get him into a chair please." The doctor didn't take his eyes from the baby, telling Irina to push.

"You don't understand. Jack's injured, he's bleeding." Irina managed to get out before breaths. "I can't believe him, he rushes back only to end up missing his child's birth anyway. I'll kill him." 

Irina dosed while Jack held his new daughter, careful of his re-stitched wound. He was mesmerized by the small weight in his arms and missed his wife stirring in her hospital bed.

"Jack?" She said softly.

"Hi, how are you feeling?" He matched her tone.

"I should be asking you that." Her eyes held fatigue and regret. "I'm sorry for before, I've never felt so out of control. Are you okay?"

"I'm great. Never felt better in fact." He glanced down at their daughter.

Irina studied him closely. "They gave you something for the pain didn't they." She smirked.

"Oh yeah." He grinned back.

"Thank you." Irina whispered, stroking their daughter's soft head.

"Thank you." Jack returned; no doubt in his mind what their words meant.

**End Flashback**

"Are you coming in or are you planning on passing out again?"

"Are you coming in or are you planning on passing out again?" Irina had changed into her hospital gown and was getting comfortable on the bed.

"No chance of me passing out; I'm not bleeding this time." Jack smirked.

"In my defense for my behaviour when Sydney was born, giving birth is more painful than a gun shot wound." She adjusted the pillows behind her as Jack sat.

"And I'm just supposed to take your word for it?" Jack challenged.

"As I'm the only one who has or ever will experience both, yes you are." Irina grabbed his hand, entwining their fingers.

"Has Yana been in to see you yet?"

"No, she's on her way down for the ultrasound. She wants to make sure the baby isn't in distress." Irina allowed no hint of worry to seep into their conversation but Jack could feel it sheath them where they sat.

"Everything will be fine. If there's one thing we both know, it's how to trust our instincts and everything is telling me our son will be healthy." Jack reassured her, thankful for his earlier words with Peter.

"It doesn't change the fact that everything about this pregnancy and labour is high risk. We could lose the baby."

"It won't happen." Jack stressed.

"How can you be certain?"

"Because there are no two parents who would do more to protect their children and today is no different." Jack picked up her hand in both of his and kissed her knuckles.

"Irina, Jack!" Yana floated into the room per her usual style. "It's a beautiful day to have a baby." Irina glared at her flighty friend. "I want to check your blood pressure, draw some blood, ultrasound and hook you up to a fetal monitor and just like you, to wait until the last possible moment to get to the hospital. I swear you exist simply to torture me." She said in a rush of one breath.

"Oh Yana, stop being so dramatic. If I were torturing you, you'd know it." Irina's sinister smirk didn't seem to faze the doctor. "Jack, Sydney wanted us to call her when I went into labour." Irina brought him down for a kiss before he left to make the call. "Don't be long." He nodded and was off.

"Irina, you're fifty years old and about to deliver a baby, do you think you could have made an appearance in my labour room a few hours ago?"

"Where would the fun in that be?" Irina smirked.

"You're high risk Irina." Yana reminded her.

"Or so the CIA would like you to believe." Irina's quip was met with a sarcastic grin from her friend.

"You always did have a demented sense of humour." Yana wrapped the blood pressure cuff around Irina's arm.

"You're simply too slow to follow my grand comedic endeavors." As an afterthought she added cheekily. "Jack appreciates it."

"Yes I've no doubt he does." Yana gestured to the nurse who walked in to draw blood. "And it seems that's not the only thing about you he appreciates- if your presence in labour and delivery is any indication." The two friends eyed one another, neither wanting to be the first to end the game yet both knowing there were more pressing matters at hand.

"Your blood pressure looks good; I'm hoping for similar results from the blood test." Yana pulled an ultrasound toward the bed and a fetal heart monitor. "Most likely your last sonogram." Yana movement the wand rhythmatically across Irina's distended abdomen, never breaking contact with her skin. "Now don't get all nostalgic on me."

Neither woman would admit to the anxiousness that permeated the room. Irina's fear was palpable to those who knew her best and Yana was working to maintain the banter to lighten the atmosphere that otherwise threatened to suffocate them.

"Nice to see your bedside manner's making such vast improvements." Irina returned, willing herself to keep her breathing even while Yana worked to find a decent picture of her womb.

"It would be better if my patients couldn't talk." The doctor and friend in Yana both sighed in relief when the sound of the baby's heartbeat erupted through the monitor. "There he is." She pointed out. "Heart sounds strong; he's dropped to a prefect position." She shook her head and a smile played on her lips. "It looks like he's eager to get out of there. Not that I blame the little guy; I empathize with the abhorring accommodations."

Irina had the childish urge to stick her tongue out at her friend, a practice long since abandoned to the innocence of their youth.

"I'd like to keep the fetal monitor on you at all times and I'd feel better having done a fetal blood sampling."

"What are the risks with the latter procedure?" Irina took a deep claming breath, easing through a stronger contraction.

"I'll insert an endoscope through the cervix to the baby's scalp and make a tiny incision to collect the sample. It won't even be noticeable when he's born and while I'm sure you're more comfortable with sharp objects in your own hands, I can manage a scraping."

Irina rolled her eyes focusing her attention on the seriousness of what she had said over the quips. "What's the purpose of the blood sampling?"

"I'd like to be sure the baby's getting sufficient oxygen; in your case it's better to be proactive." Yana turned serious suddenly, leaving both women silent. Turning off the ultrasound, and wiping up the contact jelly, she turned back to her patient.

"Do what you think is necessary." Irina gave over control reluctantly.

Yana pulled the fetal monitor toward Irina, wrapping it securely around her stomach. "Let's see how you're dilating." She sat at the end of the bed and checked the dilation of the cervix. "When we were younger, I thought one day I might have to pull a bullet out of you, or set any number of broken bones, but I never figured I'd be checking the thinning of your cervix and for the elasticity of your vaginal canal." Yana continued the light nature of their conversation.

"Yet to most, it would be the former of those scenarios that would appear unusual." Irina told her.

"Where's the fun in that?" Yana quoted Irina's earlier words. "Irina, everything looks wonderful. You're progressing perfectly; if you continue like this, I'd say we'll have ourselves a baby in a few hours." Removing her latex gloves, she grasped Irina's arm. "I don't think I've ever seen a woman look so serene during labour."

"You weren't there the first time. Poor Jack barely made it out alive. Literally."

"He's in for another ride than?" Yana raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"A lot has happened between now and then." Irina paused, reflecting on the less enjoyable experiences she had had. "Child birth doesn't seem so bad after experiencing the alternatives….and the result speaks for itself." Her tender smile delighted Yana.

"I'm going to go check on the blood work." Yana released her and made for the door.

"Yana." Irina called out gently. "Thank you." Yana smiled slightly. "For taking care of the baby and me but more so for the last forty-five years."

Tears sprang to Yana's eyes at Irina's sincerity. "b." She whispered hoarsely from the doorway. "You're trying to make me cry. I'm on to you Irina Derevko." She pointed at Irina, who laughed out loud, seeing her dearest friend succumb to her emotions.

**Los Angeles**

"Syd!" Weiss yelled from his desk where Vaughn and he were seated. "Get over here a sec."

Sydney made her way to the two men. "What's up?"

"Have you read the newest report out of Korea?" Syd shook her head no. "That dumbass Jankins got the assignment and before he left he got piss drunk to celebrate and got a tattoo. He didn't remember getting it and because it was on his left ass cheek didn't see it." Weiss gestured wildly with his hands. "So he was being checked out while in Korea and they got pictures of his body art and very nearly executed him for being a spy."

"What I want to know is what the hell Jankins does in his spare time that a painfully sore ass cheek and a killer hang over wouldn't raise red flags." Vaughn spoke up, equally amused and annoyed by Jankins.

"How could a tattoo be enough to get him executed? If he had just gotten it, than there would have been no prior record of it." Sydney concluded logically.

"True but then his tattoo was proclaiming 'CIA's #1 Agent'." Weiss couldn't keep the grin from his face any longer.

"That guy was always such a tool." Vaughn added. "So what's this mission Jack's on?" He changed gears with lightening speed.

"Your dad was promoted so he wouldn't have to go on extended ops but I swear he's been on more now than ever." Weiss exclaimed.

"He's using old contacts to track Sloane; he feels they'll be more responsive to him." She lied.

"I'm gonna be just like Jack in twenty years." Weiss said suddenly, ignoring Sydney and Vaughn's incredulous looks. "I'm serious, at the rate I'm going, with no girlfriend and the time I spend here; I'm going to live only to work; I'm going to become Jack Bristow." His eyes widened at the thought. "Promise me that you'll save me from myself." His theatrics brought a smile to Sydney's face.

They were interrupted by Sydney's cell phone ringing. "Hello." She answered, throwing Vaughn and Weiss apologetic glances.

"Sydney?" A woman's voice asked on the other end. She wasn't able to place it. "It's Caroline, your father's assistant." Recognition dawned.

"Hi." Sydney responded. "Is my father okay?" She eyed Vaughn and Weiss, trying to find a tactful way to walk off.

"This line's secure Sydney. I'm assuming your parents informed you of my status." She said.

"I understand." Sydney answered cryptically.

"You're not alone are you?" Caroline caught on quickly.

"No." Sydney replied succinctly.

"Your father called from the hospital; your mother is there right now."

"Are we looking at a positive or negative situation right now?" She shook off Vaughn's look of concern.

"As far as your father informed me, everything looks good."

"Okay." She hedged again.

"Come by your father's office, I have an itinerary and identification for you. You should be with your parents in fifteen hours." Caroline's smile could be heard over the line.

"Thank you." Sydney hung up and prepared to face her audience.

"What was that about?" Vaughn questioned.

"My father's assistant. He wants me to meet him; he needs help tracking down an informant." Sydney replied quickly. "I've gotta go, my flight leaves soon. I don't know when I'll be back but I'll call you if I can." She leaned down to kiss Vaughn before stopping just short of running out of the office.

"What?" Weiss eyed Vaughn with suspicion.

"What, what?" Vaughn shrugged innocently.

"Don't give me that; I know that look. What's up?" Weiss nodded in the direction Sydney had rushed toward moments before.

"Since when does Jack need help doing anything, especially tracking down an informant? And wouldn't that be more Marshall's area of expertise or is he planning on sending Syd out in the field in which case you'd think he would want us there as well or at least call Dixon for backup." Weiss nodded along. 

"Yeah but there's only one constant about Jack and that's that there isn't one." Weiss noted.

"This just feels weird. And why would he get his assistant to call Sydney. Since when does Jack trust anyone let alone a secretary? I think he may be in trouble." Vaughn sighed at the thought.

"Which means that Sydney is walking right into it." Weiss concluded. "Alright, so let's see if we can track her down." He volunteered.

"Then what?" Vaughn looked at him oddly.

"What do you mean then what? Then we go make sure she and Jack get out of trouble." He rolled his eyes at his friend, thinking the answer had been obvious.

"Let's go talk to Marshall then." Vaughn shot up from his seat to get to work on tracking Sydney and Jack down. He was determined to find them and aid in any way that was necessary.

**CIA JOINT TASK FORCE HQ- L.A.**

_"Let's go talk to Marshall then." Vaughn shot up from his seat to get to work on tracking Sydney and Jack down. He was determined to find them and aid in any way that was necessary._

"Marshall!"

The tech savant leaped from his seat but was pulled back down just as quickly by the headphones covering his ears.

"Huh-oh, ahh." He fought with the offending head gear, finally batting it down on his cluttered desk. Vaughn and Weiss looked on with mild amusement.

"I'm trying to establish frequency patterns of foreign satellites in the…" He caught the looks on both men's faces. "And you don't really care do you."

"No." Vaughn said honestly. "Listen, is there any way to track Sydney?" He got straight to the point.

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Jack needed her help with an intelligence op. We think they're both in trouble." Weiss answered, shooting Vaughn a 'calm down' look.

"Jack and Sydney are more than capable of taking care of themselves, don't you think." Marshall looked more nervous than usual.

"Listen, something weird has been going on for the last few months with Sydney and Jack and I for one don't want to sit on my hands waiting for the two of them to come home in matching body bags." Vaughn became more agitated as he thought of Jack's recent bizarre behavior and Sydney's new found devotion to developing a relationship with him.

"But come on, Jack's like well…Jack." Marshall raised both eyebrows.

"Marshall we need to find them and if you don't help us, so help me I'll-" Vaughn clenched his fists.

"Whoa there chief; calm down." Weiss patted him on the back while surrepticously restraining him.

"I think what my anger management challenged friend here wanted to say was 'would you please help us track Sydney and Jack down."

"No, I think I got it right the first time." Vaughn stared Marshall down.

"Okay, but if anyone finds out, I had nothing to do with this and by anyone I mean Mr. Bristow." He had begun sweating under Vaughn's scrutiny. "I'll only be able to give you likely locations because she wouldn't have used her real name. Well, at least I don't think so cause if she did then you wouldn't need me but then maybe that's what she wants you to think so she did use her name and you would never think to check for her on any travel manifests. But that would be really risky and-"

"Marshall!" Vaughn bellowed for the second time. "Just let us know when you have something. The sooner the better." Vaughn stalked out of the room, more worried than when he went in.

Weiss shrugged his shoulders glancing at the departing man in way of apology to Marshall before following him out.

Marshall watched them leave with mounting distress. "Thanks for all your help Marshall despite the fact that when Jack finds out he's going to kill you." He said to himself in a mocking voice. "Oh no problem guys because Irina's the one that is likely to take me out, Jack would just torture me." He continued his conversation with himself. "I hope you're ready for what you're going to find there guys." He whispered to himself, remembering the CD Jack had him analyze more than six months before.

"I'm a dead man." He wiped his sweat soaked brow.

**BOGOTA COLUMBIA**

Arvin Sloane's soulless eyes gazed out upon the grounds he had laboured much of his life for. He felt a certain satisfaction knowing that his hard work was all going to pay off in the months if not days to come. Sydney had likely already seen to a test confirming she was Jack's daughter but she and Jack would not be able to help but wonder at the affair he spoke of with her mother.

He would not act too hastily; he had waited this long for the proper time to arrive, a few more days would simply make the end more pleasurable. The CIA, Irina and everyone else who had ever thought to betray him would soon be regretting their emergency from their mother's womb.

"Darius." He called to one of his men. The man had proven himself efficient and worthy of a position within his operation.

"Yes Mr. Sloane." Darius emerged from the building.

"What is the status of the Bristows?" He didn't bother to look away from his fortress.

"Jack Bristow has once again lost his tail; however, Sydney Bristow has just departed for Dubis." He told Sloane. He was at a disadvantage ever since Irina had been forced to leave Russia. He wasn't sure where she had gone thus wasn't able to direct Sloane's teams away from her location.

"Keep an eye on her. She's slippery." Sloane picked up a picture of Emily he kept beside him where ever he was. "You're dismissed Darius." 

The other man left Sloane to his own devices outside, irrationally hoping he would hit his head and fall into the pool and drown.

"Don't worry Emily. Your death will not be in vain. I will have everything I ever wanted. Everything I ever wanted to give to you. You would be so proud right now." He spoke to the picture, wanting nothing more than to hear it answer him. "Any day now and I will make them all pay the price you had too."

Hour 1

Irina's face glowed honey brown from the Aegean Sun; her cheeks flushed delicately from the strain on her body and her eyes danced as she read the leather bound book in her lap.

"What are you reading?" Jack cocked his head to catch the title.

"The Odyssey." Irina glanced from the book. "In its original Greek."

"Isn't that a little too clichéd, even for you?" Jack moved around to the far side of the bed to take his seat in the chair provided for him.

"Perhaps, but it's terribly romantic." She spread the aged literature with care across her chest. "A story of a love so great it lasted time, distance and the hopelessness of death." She raised a knowing eyebrow. "Fitting is it not?"

Jack snickered. "You have a deranged sense of humour."

"One of my many charms." Her suddenly tightened grip on the hide covered paper altered Jack to an oncoming contraction but he remained quiet. Irina was not one who cared to have her weaknesses called out.

"Did you reach Sydney?" She picked up her book as the contraction abated, thus missing Jack's subtle eye roll.

"I did." He paused to reposition himself. "She's likely on her way now." A quick nod was all the acknowledgement he received.

"I think I'm going to take a quick nap." She put the book down on the bedside table and shifted to a more comfortable position.

"Sweet dreams Penelope." Jack traced the Greek letters of the text.

"Actually you'd be more of the Penelope character; I bear a striking similarity to Odysseus." She smirked. "But thanks for the thought." Her voice trailed off as sleep claimed victory over consciousness.

Hour 2

"Someone is smiling down on me today! She's asleep!" Yana held her heart dramatically, grinning at Jack.

"Yes, this is a decidedly more peaceful experience than the last time." He closed The Odyssey politely.

"So I heard." Yana caught sight of the title, making an obvious displeased sound. "You and your wife have a deprived sense of irony."

"I've had her test results analyzed and it appears everything is progressing smoothly. I'll keep a close eye on her but currently the baby is well oxygenated and Irina's blood pressure is remaining consistently strong."

Irina stirred, jolting Yana's head toward the bed. "I must go. I have no time to once again win a battle of wits against Irina today." Yana spun on her heel, striding through the room door. "Be back in a bit Darlings. Oh and try to get her back to sleep before I get here; she's far more manageable that way." Jack rolled his eyes again at the company Irina seemed to keep.

"Are you awake?" Jack ran a gentle hand through her soft hair.

"Yes. As soon as I have this baby I'm going to kick Yana's ass. And for the record, she's never won a battle of wits unless I was severely incapacitated." A slight smile lit Jack's face at the resolve in her voice.

"You're a victim of circumstance." He agreed jokingly.

"Now that we know that everything looks good I think I could use a walk." Irina threw back the covers and eased off the bed.

Jack watched her closely. "I don't know if I've told you but you're very graceful, pregnant or not." He smiled warmly at her.

"Don't worry Action, labour's not going to be as great a shock this time; you don't have to lay it on so thick." She held his hand as she slipped into a pair of shoes. "You know," Irina drew out as the walked through the hospital garden. "we haven't discussed what we'll do once the baby arrives.

"And you choose now to discuss it?" Jack said incredulously.

"Irina simply looked at him impassively. With a resigned sign Jack spoke. "I assumed we would carry on the way we have. You living here and me visiting when I can."

"That's not going to work for a few reasons Jack. One, I'm not going to be alone with a baby on this island waiting for you to make time for a quick visit in your schedule. Two, I can't put my work on hold any longer; you don't have the monopoly on working hours and three and most importantly, you can't keep disappearing for a week here and there and expect that no one is going to suspect something or worse yet that someone may track your position."

The conversation ended with no clear decision made regarding their living situation once the baby was born, leaving both of them feeling uneasy. Neither liked to have unknowns trickling through their plans and this one was big.

Hour 3

"Okay, okay, I got it!" Marshall exclaimed. Vaughn and Weiss lifted their heads from their quiet discussion in a corner of the room.

"Where's Syd headed?" Weiss asked.

"Egypt. More specifically Dubis."

"Great, I hate Egypt. It's hot and I always end up finding sand on me for weeks after being there." Vaughn pulled a face at Weiss' commentary.

"You got us on the next available flight out." Vaughn stated.

"Yes – um no well not exactly. The flight's booked solid." He began to sweat.

"We do this all the time Marshall. Bump someone." Vaughn spoke with frustration.

"Can't. I tried but we couldn't because Jack's hasn't signed off on the mission. It's not an official operation as far as the-"

"When's the flight Marshall?" Vaughn was hanging onto his patience by a hair.

"7:00 this evening." Marshall answered quickly.

"That's ten hours from now." Vaughn cried.

"Sorry, I-I uh did everything I could." Marshall began to fidget as his brow glistened.

"It's great. Thanks man." Weiss patted him on the back following Vaughn from the secluded room. "And Vaughn says thank you also." He yelled.

Marshall tried to shake his fear away. "Mom was right; I should have just started a business from home."

Hour 4

Sydney ignored the glances she was receiving from the man seated next to her in first class. He had been trying to catch her eye for the better part of three hours and was fast wearing her nerves thin. This was only the first part of her journey as she still had to change aircrafts and countries more than once more.

For the first time since she could remember the jumpy feeling sitting in the pit of her stomach was not nerves tinged with dread but pure excited joy. She felt the eyes of the man next to her once again and kept her head down to avoid them.

"I'm Andrew." He finally introduced himself despite her obvious disinterest.

It took a split second to make her decision after feeling only a slightly guilty.

She ignored the introduction.

"I'm Andrew." The guy tried again, this time a little louder.

Sydney didn't look up.

"Fine, you can ignore me but I'm just going to keep on talking." The guy grinned, thinking he would win her over with his persistence. "So what are you doing on this flight Andrew?" He asked himself. "I've got a business meeting. I work for a multi-million dollar company and we have dealings in Germany."

Still Sydney gave him nothing, not even looking from her book.

"You know the polite thing to do would be to at least introduce yourself. It's rude to blatantly ignore someone when they're talking to you." He said in frustration. "Great I finally get to sit next to a hot girl on a plane and she's a total bitch." He muttered to himself just loud enough for Sydney to have been able to hear him.

She finally looked up from her book to the man seated next to her and saw his lips moving. He caught her eye with a frown at her look of confusion.

Sydney moved her hands from her ear to in front of her face indicating to the man that she wasn't able to hear.

"You're deaf." He finally stated, understanding her motions.

Sydney made a show of watching his lips then nodded her head.

"Sorry." The guy mumbled and turned back to his laptop.

Doing her best to hold back a smile of triumph, Sydney returned to her book.

For a moment the words on the page blurred as a nagging sense of caution filled her. She couldn't be sure whether it was paranoia born of her occupation or something more nefarious. Something like Arvin Sloane.

Hour 5

"Jack, make yourself useful and massage my back." Irina called him away from the window.

Her labour was progressing smoothly if rather slowly. Yana had been in once or twice every hour to check on the baby's progress and Irina was certain, to pester her. She closed her eyes as Jack's large warm hands worked over her lower back, relaxing the muscles.

"I know you'll tell me you've endured far worse than this but I'm still asking you if you're alright." Jack's deep voice rolled into her ear and floated down her spine to sooth the aches further.

"Other than quickly becoming bored I'm doing fine. Although if this is a preview of your son's ability to try my patience, I may never let him out." Irina's throaty laughter turned to a sigh when Jack pressed a little more firmly to the right of her spine.

"I've been weighing to the pros and cons to having a child so late in life." Jack continued his massage.

"Of course you have." Irina butted in sarcastically.

"How quickly you doubt me." He smiled. "One of the advantages to having a child now is that when we want some time alone or just away from the baby, we foist him off on his doting older sister." Irina smiled at that but Jack wasn't finished. "Who is intelligent enough to know it's in her best interest to take her brother when we ask."

There was silence in the room, then…. "Dammit." Irina cursed. "I'll have to be sure she sees me with a weapon of some sort while she's here." She slapped the bed sheets with her declaration.

"Do I want to know why?" Jack hedged carefully, pausing in his ministrations.

"Because dear husband of mine, last time she was here my hormones got the best of me and I shed a few tear. I wouldn't want her to think I had gone soft."

"You soft? Never going to happen." Jack kissed her temple. "You've cornered the market on homicidal bitch sweetheart."

"Jack, you're such a sweet talker." She turned her head to kiss him soundly. "Now if only you could sweet talk your obstinate son into making an appearance; at this rate Sydney will be here by the time he's out.

Hour 6

Jack walked into the gormet cafeteria housed in the east wing of the hospital; looking for something quick to eat and some coffee.

"Any news on the baby front?" A voice startled him from behind. Jack berated himself for letting his guard down. He reminded himself that the island did not afford he and Irian much protection.

"Nothing yet, but it shouldn't be much longer." He thought for a moment. "Allow me to rephrase that; Irina isn't going to allow it to be much longer." Peter smiled brightly at that.

"I'm surprised she let you leave the room. Isn't it a woman's prerogative to inflict pain on us while they're experiencing it?" Peter walked with Jack to a table in the lounge.

"She's sleeping for the moment, but as yet this labour hasn't phased her."

"I wish she had been Helen's labour coach for our last two. I thought for sure she was going to divorce me after them." Peter adjusted his hospital ID tag on the front of his lab coat.

"Speaking of children, how are yours doing?" Jack asked cordially. He smiled to himself thinking of Sydney may have fainted at his ability to sustain if not participate in small talk.

"Everyone is good; we're fast approaching winter break and are bound to have a full house with the kids coming back from university."

"I read in the paper that the school football team made it to regional finals." Jack supplied in regard to Peter's youngest son.

"They did!" He said with obvious enjoyment. "Matthew is so excited. Poor Helen was chastised by him when she called it soccer in front of his teammates." Peter laughed. "Heaven save me from hyper-sensitive social butterflies."

"I can't wait to experience adolescent angst again." Jack huffed. "If my daughter is any example the drama will be unbearable." Jack took a sip of his coffee.

"If not the moping and lack of communication will make up for it." Peter chuckled at the evil eye Jack was shooting him.

"Helen and I discovered something when we had Sophia." He tried to glaze over the negative. "When you just can't or don't want to deal with the baby-"

"Pass them off to their siblings." The men said together then laughed at one another.

"And here I was hoping to impart my wisdom upon you. Well, sorry to say but that was all the wisdom I had." He raised his hands in self defeat.

"You just want to see me muddle through with nothing but a hope and a prayer." Jack accused.

"And just because you've realized it doesn't make it any less entertaining." He paused. "But I pictured a gun and shovel more than a hope and prayer."

"Jack was suddenly very thankful he had run into Peter. He hadn't realized how tense he had been all day but somehow speaking of normalcy seemed to calm him. Or perhaps it was once again having a male friend he could speak to without the threat of the conversation being used to test his mental fortitude at a later date.

"Well Old Man, I should be getting back to the lab and you have a wife who will no doubt commandeer the paging system if you don't return."   
Peter stoods with Jack and slapped him on the back.

"Who are you calling Old Man?" Jack glared. "I believe you have a few years on me grandpa." He taunted.

"Grandpa! You know something I don't?" Peter pretended tto turn a sharp look at him.

"I assure you, your daughter has maintained the utmost decorum at school this fall."

Peter laughed harder. "When I said check in on her I didn't mean to do it covertly." He shook his head. "Although it makes me feel better now; she says she's bringing some guy home for Christmas."

"So far he checks out. All As on his transcript; part of the university leadership program for a safer community. No record - adult or juvenile – not even a speeding ticket. Though he did get a mark on his high school record for pulling a grad prank."

Peter blinked. "I don't know why I'm surprised. Thanks for looking out for my kids. I feel out of my depth sometimes with them halfway around the world."

"I'm happy to do it. I know how it feels to be half a world away to those that matter to you." Jack had the image of both Sydney and Irina in his mind.

"So are you going to tell me?" Jack gave Peter a confused look. "What was the prank he pulled to get him into trouble?"

"Oh, he spray-painted handicapped signs on all the faculty parking spaces at school." Jack answered flippantly.

The silence last only seconds before they both laughed at the image.

"I suppose I can forgive the boy that incident; his stupidity is about evenly weighed by his creativity." Peter sighed before catching his breath and returned to his lab.

Hour 7

"This isn't funny anymore Yana, what the hell did you do?" Irina spoke with steel in her voice. "You appear and suddenly this baby doesn't want to go anywhere. Not that I blame him. I blame you. Even from the womb you've managed to scare him."

"I don't know what you mean. I'm heart broken." Her eyelashes fluttered as her hands came to cover her chest in mock horror.

"Come a little closer and I'll show you heart breaking you quack." The menacing look did nothing to dissuade Yana.

"Because I'm your friend and doctor I feel its my duty to tell you that you're highly deluded. I thought you were taking this labour like a champ." Yana sat on the stool at the end of the bed.

"I waws until I realized that you had somehow manipulated my child into hanging out in my bloody uterus for a while longer."

Yana knew enough to keep her eyes on Irina's feet which were currently precariously close to her head. "I suppose I should ass paranoid to deluded; labour does such wonderful things to a woman's body." Yana rolled her eyes before focusing on her patient. "You're about 8 contimeters dilated any time now." She smiled and stripped off the latex gloves.

"Don't you mean centimeters?" Jack, who had been careful to stay out of the two women's way as they sparred suddenly chose to speak.

"No, centimeters, in genecology and obstetrics we call centimeters contimeters."

"Why?" Jack looked perplexed.

"How the hell should I know! I'm just the hired help." Yana sprung from the stool, tossed the gloves in the garbage and floated out of the room as she had floated in. "Later darlings; don't deliver without me now."

"You have some of the strangest friends." Jack told his wife.

"I have a strange husband and you don't seem to mind." Irina raised both her eyebrows in a challenge that she was sure Jack would take.

Hour 8

"Okay, I'm ready to go home now." Irina announced calmly but before Jack cold respond Yana made another appearance.

"A little birdie told me you're fully dilated." She took a glance and grinned wider. "Are you ready to deliver?" She asked coyly.

"What I'm ready to do is leave. I've decided not to have the baby today." Irina remained perfectly calm.

"Ah….transition, what a lovely stage of labour." Yana stole a glance at the nurse and new neonatal specialist who walked through the door.

"I'm afraid you'll have to stick around for a little bit longer. But hey." She gestured wildly with her hands. "this is the fun part."

Irina roller her eyes, clearly not impresses. "What part of the next few minutes is going to be fun?"

"The part where I watch you do the pushing and all I have to do is remember to catch." She replied cheekily.

"One of these days I'm going to kill you and they'll never find your body." Irina thought for a moment. "Well, at least not all of it."

"I'm truly honored Irina." Yana gestured for the nurse to tilt the bed up. "I know you only save the truly gruesome threats for the ones you love. But next time you want to tell me you love me, just send me a card."

"I'm ready when you are Doctor." The neo-natal specialist told Yana.

"Alright Irina, when you feel the next contraction, push." Yana shifted on the stool. "Don't forget to breathe through it. Holding your breath makes it worse."

"Shut up you loon, what do I look like some pregnant teen!" Irina pursed her lips.

Jack brushed Irina's hair back from her face and rubber her back as she bore down for the first push. She breathed deeply through the sharp pain ripping through her lower body.

"You know we never did decide on a name." Irina said to Jack once the contraction passed.

"Names aren't really my area of expertise." Jack looked marginally uncomfortable.

"Find but you have to live with what ever name I pick." She smirked darkly.

"So I'll be stuck tell the boy why you gave he some outlandish name and I did nothing to stop it." Jack appeared defeated.

"You can sovle this problem by letting me name him." Yana announced sweetly.

"My son's not even born yet, I'm not going to stick him with that cruel and unusual punishment." Irina felt another contraction.

"Give me another push Rina." Yana pretended not to see the nurses and other doctor laughing at her expense.

"I'm a pretty luck man you know." Jack whispered into Irina's ear as she came down the contraction.

"Oh yeah, why's that?" A light sheen of perspiration was the only indication that Irina was experiencing labour.

"I'm married to the most amazing woman in the world and she's about to give me our second child." He kissed her temple.

"You're right. You are a luck man." Irina smiled at him before kissing him properly.

"A few more pushes and I can go back to my husband. You make a girl jealous you know." Yana watched them lovingly, pleased to no end that her friend had finally found her peace.

"another contraction's coming." Irina said.

Irina pushed with Jack watching on. "Oh Rina, your son has hair." She declared.

A push later and Yana was telling Jack to come down and be ready to catch his son because the head was out and it wouldn't be much longer.

"You don't want to do the honors?" Jack asked her.

"I figure if you've put up with Rina this long you deserve it." She sat him on the stool and showed him how he would catch him.

Yana motioned for the nurse to move up and support Irina as she pushed while Jack focused all his attention on not dropping the baby when he arrived.

"You better be ready Jack because this baby is coming." Irina bore down for one final push as the baby's shoulders slipped free and he slid effortlessly into his father's waiting hands.

The astonished look on Jack's would have shocked most of his adversaries, but was quickly transformed to joy when Yana suctioned out the nose and mouth and he heard his son cry for the first time.

"He's got your lungs Rina." Yana announced with a sense of pride.

"Jack?" Irina question softly.

"He's perfect Irina. Absolutely perfect." He laid their new son on Irina's chest to cut the embilical cord where the nurse had clamped it for him.

Irina's hands immediately went to secure the crying body on her chest and to protect his naked flesh from the cool hospital air. Tears sprang to her eyes as she finally got a look at her healthy baby.

"We'll clean him up and I want the specialist to look him over as a precaution." Yana took the squirming boy over to the other side of the room for the other doctor give him the once over and clean him up.

Jack had moved up to the head of the bed again to kiss Irina's forehead. "I've never seen a more beautiful baby boy in my life." Jack had wiped his hands on a towel the nurse provided before hugging his wife to him. "Thank you." He said with eyes full of meaning. "For everything."

"Thank you." Irina brought his head down to hers to kiss him tenderly. "I've been so worried that something would go wrong that I didn't give myself the right to fall in love with my baby yet. Now that it's over I don't think I've ever been happier in my life." The tears spilled over her lashes to caress her cheeks, a torrent of hormones and emotion running within her.

"Alright darling one more push and I'm out of here." Yana delivered the placenta and turned to the nurse beside her.

"Have the lab harvest the stem cells and put them into storage." The nurse left with her task assigned.

Jack quirked an eyebrow at Yana. "Why?" He asked simply.

"For the future. If your son has his parent's luck he's likely going to need the insurance." She laughed.

"I couldn't have done this without you Yana." Irina took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

"Don't you mean to implicate Jack in that scenario?" She teased.

"No." Irina said seriously. "We've protect one another for almost our entire lives but in the past few months you have done more for me than I could ever comprehend. You are the sister on my heart and I'll love you forever."

Tears ran down Yana's face as she gripped Irina in a hug. "I love you too Rina and it has been an honor to stand beside you in friendship all these years."

The neo-natal specialist walked toward the bed with a bundle swattaled in his arms. "His in perfect health. Heart and lungs sound good. I took blood to run all the necessary test but I doubt they'll be any problems. He's strong." He told Irina and Jack. "A very healthy 8lbs. 3 ounces and 22 inches long." He passed the baby over to his mother

**TBC  
**


End file.
